The 100 Arrival Day
by ThaliaGrace318
Summary: 100 prisoners sent on a desperate mission to the ground. Among them are Thalia Grace, imprisoned from childhood, yet still finding a way to come out on top; Emily Kane, daughter of the Vice Chancellor, a fighter through and through; Iris Glass, too sweet to survive, or stronger than she looks?
1. We Call It The Skybox

The 100 - Arrival Day

_I feel the sun on my face. I see trees all around me, the scent of wildflowers on a breeze. It's so beautiful. In this moment, I'm not stranded in space. It's been 97 years since a nuclear apocalypse killed everyone on Earth, leaving the planet simmering in radiation. Fortunately, there were survivors. Twelve nations had operational space stations at the time of the bombs. There is now only the Ark, one station forged from the many. We're told that the Earth needs another 100 years to become survivable again; four more space-locked generations and man can go home, back to the ground. The ground, that's the dream. This is reality. Reality sucks! On the Ark any crime, no matter how small, is punishable by death, unless you're under 18. Juvenile offenders are confined, put in lock-up. We call it the Skybox._

Chapter 1 - The Skybox

Within the Skybox, in a sparse two person cell, the only sound that could be heard was the scratching of a piece of charcoal against the floor. A girl sat between the two bunks in the room, her blonde hair pulled back into a braid, all her attention on the image she was creating. The scene was of someone standing among trees looking up at the night sky. Clarke Griffin was absorbed in her art, wondering what the sky really looked like from the ground, if her imagination was close to the real thing. Her cellmate, Thalia Grace, looked over from where she was laying on her bunk to see what Clarke had drawn this time.

"Pretty," she said. "You better be careful though. We're running out of wall space." Then she went back to staring at the stars through the skylight in the roof.

Clarke gave a small smile at Thalia's sarcasm, as though running out of things to draw on was their biggest concern. It was true though; the walls and floor of their cell were covered in Clark's drawings, sketches of plants, animals, old buildings. Thalia appreciated Clarke's talent, especially as it gave her something to look at other than the blank cell walls. To Thalia the worst part about being in lock-up was the amount of shear boredom. Aside from basic schooling, meal time and the meager amount of time that they were allowed for recreation, they were stuck in their cells. Thalia sometimes amused herself by throwing small pieces of metal that she fashioned into darts at a target that Clarke ad drawn on their cell door. After years of practice she never missed.

Thalia had been put in the Skybox when she was nine years old and in the eight and a half years since then had often wondered if she could die of boredom or sensory deprivation, and if that wouldn't be better than waiting to be executed when she turned 18, which wasn't too far away now. _Not too far away for Clarke either_, she thought. The two girls had lived lives as different as they could be on the Ark, but they had known each other before Clarke was confined a year ago. Clarke's mother was the Ark's Chief Medical Officer and Thalia's doctor when she had spent two years in and out of the hospital for an immune deficiency starting when she was five. She still saw Dr. Griffin from time to time when bouts of weakness or sickness came up. The infirmary had the medication that could make her better, but she had not been allowed any of it aside from the most common since she had been confined. The medicine was saved for the law abiding citizens, while Thalia had to get by on diet and exercise prescribed by Dr. Griffin, along with a few synthetic vitamins, to keep her healthy.

The few times that Thalia has met with Dr. Griffin in the last few years had been much like what she remembered from her childhood. Dr. Griffin was kind but firm and also sincere, unlike so many other people at her level. Clarke took after her mother, not just in looks, but in demeanor; she was focused, kind and plainly honest, and she also had her mother's talent for healing people, making them better. When Thalia had had to stay in the hospital for weeks at a time when she was a child she often saw Clarke trailing after her mother, watching and learning from her. When they ended up sharing a cell Thalia learned that Clarke had started training as a doctor as well. Thalia was more than a little surprised when the girl who used to visit her in the hospital ended up as her cellmate in the Skybox seven years later. Clark's mother had an important position on the Ark, not only as Chief Medical Officer but also as a member of the council that ran the Ark. Someone with those kinds of connections can usually find a way out of whatever trouble they get into. Whatever the reason, Thalia decided to see her new cellmate as an opportunity. All juvenile criminals are reviewed when they turned 18 and may be pardoned for their crimes depending on what the council decides. No one had been pardoned in the last year, but having a friend whose mother is on the council could be useful.

Having spent half her life in the Skybox, Thalia knew almost everything about almost everyone in it. She knew who deserved to be locked up, whose crimes were petty or out of desperation, and who had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time or had angered the wrong people. Being a councilwoman's daughter, Clarke grew up in a more privileged life than most of the people in lock-up, and of course there were those who resented her for it, and for her connection to the council that put them there.

So Talia made it her job to watch out for Clarke against the troublemakers and real criminals in lock-up, a job made easier by the fact that almost everyone in lock-up knew who Thalia was too. She had her own connections within their confined little world. Clarke was nobody's fool though. She knew why Thalia watched out for her. Even so the girls had developed a genuine friendship over time until they trusted each other enough to tell each other the real reasons that they had been confined.

Clarke, still lost in her own thoughts, suddenly came to attention when Thalia sat up on her bed, smoothing down her short, spiky black hair, and looked at the door. Clarke didn't hear anything out of place, but Thalia always seemed to know when something was happening.

The cell door swung open and two guards stepped in, one looking like a new recruit whose uniform didn't quite fit, and the other one older, more experienced. "Prisoners 3-1-8 and 3-1-9 stand up and face the wall," he said.

Both girls stood, Thalia giving the younger guard a hard glare which made him flinch before facing the wall. The cold look in her electric blue eyes unnerved most people.

"What is this?" Clarke asked.

"Quiet. Hold out your right arm," the older guard ordered.

Clarke looked behind them to see the guard taking something out of a metal box. It looked like a metal cuff with needles on the inside of it.

"No," Clarke said, her light blue eyes shifting between the two guards. "No, it's not my time. You're early, neither one of us is 18 yet."

"Hold out your arm," the guard ordered again, while his partner drew his shock-stick, an electrified baton which was used to subdue prisoners.

"No, just check our files, you'll see," Clarke said as the guards come towards them. "You're early, you'll see that!"

Clarke was afraid now; Thalia was curious. One thing that was always consistent in the Skybox was that the guards followed protocol. She had never heard of anyone being executed before their time (unless they'd made a major infraction), and what were the wristbands for. She didn't know what was happening and one thing Thalia hated was not knowing - it didn't happen often.

"Take off the watch," the older guard ordered, moving towards Clarke first with one of the metal cuffs.

"No, it was my father's!" Clarke drew her hand back protectively and backed away from the guard.

"Take it off," he ordered impatiently, grabbing her arm.

"No!" Clarke shouted, trying to pull away but the guard did not let go.

Thalia had stayed quiet so far, waiting to find out what was going on, but one thing she hated more than not knowing, was seeing someone hurt her friend.

"Let her go!" Thalia said angrily. When the guard turned his attention to her she responded with a punch to the throat that left him gasping. The second guard came at them with his shock-stick to subdue them. The younger guard was inexperienced, and Clarke was able to grab the arm holding the shock-stick and push it back towards him, the electric jolt dropping him to the floor. Both girls ran through the cell door, slamming it shut behind them.

The Skybox, true to its name, was built like a giant cube with cells along the walls and the center hollow so that when you stepped up to the rail you could see the upper and lower levels. And from what Clarke and Thalia could see, every cell was being opened; all of the prisoners were being ushered out by guards, most of them already outfitted with the metal wristbands.

"What the hell?" Clarke whispered.

XX

In another cell, a young girl sat on her bunk brushing out her light blonde hair and singing softly to herself. Iris Glass was also watching her cellmate, who was at the back wall of their cell in a handstand with her legs crossed as if she were sitting, her long hair making a pool of black silk on the floor beneath her. Her cellmate had her eyes closed and had been like that for some time. _How does she do that?_ Glass thought, wondering how she had the strength or the patience for it. "My mom does yoga," said Glass.

Emily opened her eyes and looked at the upside down image of her cellmate, who was also one of her best friends. Glass smiled at her and went back to singing. Emily smiled too and closed her eyes again, listening. Glass had a beautiful voice and singing a familiar children's song, it brought them both back to happier times.

That illusion was shattered by the cell door opening. Two guards walked in and one of them said, "Prisoners 3-1-6 and 3-1-7, stand and face the wall." Glass quickly tucked her hair brush into her pocket and stood up.

Emily was not as quick to comply. She opened her eyes and said lazily, "Mind if I get dressed first?" She was wearing only her underwear, but sweat glistened on her skin from the exertion of holding that position for the last hour. Emily smoothly uncrossed her legs and came out of her handstand, gracefully coming to her feet, not the least bit self-conscious. Her muscles moved easily, accustomed to the physical strain.

Emily picked her cloths up from where they were neatly folded on her bunk and casually slipped on her pants, shirt, jacket and boots, pulled her long hair into a ponytail and put her cross necklace around her neck before doing as the guard ordered.

One of the guards opened a case that had some kind of metal bracelets inside, bracelets that had needles in them. Glass looked at Emily, afraid. Were the guards here to kill them? Emily shook her head no. The council wouldn't waste medical resources on killing prisoners with lethal injections – prisoners to be executed were floated, shot out of an airlock into space – and even if they would, it was not their time yet. There was still three weeks to Emily's birthday, and while she wouldn't have been too surprised if her father had ordered them to get it over with, Glass didn't turn eighteen until _next_ year.

"Prisoner 3-1-6, hold out your right arm," one of the guards ordered Glass.

Glass tensed and took a step back from them. Emily reached over to take her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Emily knew that Glass was spunky, but she was also small and sweet looking with a petite frame and the kind of face that made people want to protect her, including Emily. It wouldn't protect her from the guards though if she didn't do what they said. Emily didn't know what was happening, and she didn't trust guards. She also wasn't afraid of the guards, she could handle herself, but Glass could get hurt. Emily nodded to Glass to do what they said.

Glass held out her arm, still fearful, and the guard closed one of the bracelets over her wrist. "Ow," Glass said wincing as the needles went into her arm.

Then the guard turned to Emily. "Prisoner 3-1-7, hold out your right arm," he ordered coming towards her with another bracelet while his partner stood by with a hand on his weapon. In the months that Emily had been in the Skybox she'd earned a reputation among the guards. But she made no move, not even a wince, as the guard closed the bracelet over her wrist and the needles went through her skin.

XX

"Prisoner 3-1-9!" The guard Thalia punched was coming out of the cell behind them, his voice a little horse, but furious. They turned to run when another voice called out.

"Clarke, stop." Councilwoman Dr. Abigail Griffin.

The guard grabbed Thalia's arm roughly. Thalia probably could have brought him down again, but with the entire cellblock swarmed with guards there was no point. She let him lead her away. When another guard advanced on Clarke Dr. Griffin ordered him back, "Wait here."

"Mom, what's going on? What is this?" Clarke asked fearfully as her mother embraced her.

Looking over her mother's shoulder Clarke saw the cell next to hers being opened and two girls being led out. They had metal cuffs on their wrists and looked as confused as all the other prisoners. When one of them - a girl with Asian features and strait black hair pulled into a ponytail that fell past her waist - saw Clarke she tried to pull away from the guard.

"Clarke, what's happening?" she called out before the guards pulled her away in the other direction.

"Emily!" Clarke said, even more fearful now seeing one of her oldest friends being led away. She turned back to her mother. "They're killing us all aren't they? Reducing population to make more time for the rest of you."

"Clarke, listen to me. You are not being executed," Dr. Griffin said putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "You're being sent to the ground, all one-hundred of you."

"What?" Clarke said stunned; it took her a moment before she continued, "But…it's not safe. No, we get reviewed at 18."

"The rules have changed. This gives you a chance to live." Her mother rubbed her arm trying to comfort her. "Your instincts will tell you to take care of everybody else first, just like your father. But be careful, I can't lose you too. I love you so much." She rested her hand on her daughter's cheek.

Clarke heard a low pop and felt a sting in her shoulder. One of the guards shot her with a tranqu dart. Dr. Griffin held onto her daughter and lowered her to the floor as the drug put her to sleep.

"Earth, Clarke. You get to go to Earth," she said, cradling her daughter in her arms like when she was small, and wishing that she could keep her there always.

XXXXX

Thalia was led by a guard to a line of other prisoners going into a hanger bay. Thalia scanned the faces of the prisoners around her, looking for a few faces in particular. She recognized most of them, and the range of expressions they wore varied from fear, through anxiety, confusion, excitement...at the moment Thalia felt mostly annoyed, at the metal cuff on her wrist and the sting of the needles going into her arm - she hated needles, they reminded her too much of her time in the hospital - and at the guard who still had a vice grip on her arm. It was the same guard that she had punched in the cell. As the line moved further into the hanger bay the prisoners gasped at the drop ship that was waiting to be launched, that they were being led into. There was a commotion in the line ahead as one of the prisoners panicked at the notion of being sent to Earth, a sure death sentence from what they had always been told. Prisoners started pushing, shouting and asking questions all at once. In the moment of chaos Thalia saw another opportunity.

When another prisoner was pushed in to her, she pushed against the guard still standing next to her and they both fell over. When the guard pushed her off she slipped his gun from its holster and tucked it under her shirt. Everyone else was too stirred up to notice, and the guard was busy trying not to get trampled. More guards came forward to control the crowd and get them back into line. Someone else came forward as well.

"Hold on," said Dr. Griffin as Thalia was being pushed back into the line. "This one is a patient of mine. Give us a minute." Dr. Griffin led Thalia away from the crown, out of sight of the guards, before she stopped. "I have something for you," she said pulling a small pack out of her pocket. She opened it slightly to show Thalia what was inside: syringes and vials of medicine. Thalia knew exactly what kind of medicine it was and that she would most likely need it. She also knew that people like her weren't worth wasting meds on, not to the council.

"You could be arrested for giving me this," she said. "What do you want for it?"

"I looked at your records Thalia. I know what you were arrested for, and the incidents that have happened while you've been in lock-up."

"What's your point?" Thalia asked warily.

"I also know that you and Clarke are friends," Dr. Griffin said taking Thalia's left wrist where she wore a simple bracelet with coloured beads on it. Thalia remembered the day she got that bracelet. They were releasing her from the hospital when she was seven saying that she had a clean bill of health as long as she took her meds, which back then were freely available to her. Clarke was with her mother in the hospital that day and gave Thalia her bracelet as a gift. That was the last time Thalia had seen Clarke before they ended up sharing a cell a year ago. Thalia didn't know why she had held onto the bracelet all this time. Maybe because it was one of the only gifts she'd ever gotten.

"This is yours," Dr. Griffin continued, holding up the med kit, "as long as you promise me one thing."

"I'm listening," Thalia said, eyeing the med kit.

"Look after Clarke, watch out for her, keep her safe," Thalia could see all the worry and pain in Dr. Griffin's eyes. She was terrified for her daughter, for what Clarke might have to face on Earth, not just from the unfamiliar land but also from the people she was being sent with. To Thalia it just seemed like she was being asked to do more of what she'd been doing for the last year, only for a different prize. Protect someone who could be an asset to her, and play her fellow prisoners to her advantage.

"I won't let anything happen to Clarke," she told Dr. Griffin. "You have my word." Thalia had always been good at choosing friends who were useful to her but this time her choice was made from sympathy rather than just to get what she wanted; not an emotion she was accustomed to feeling. Dr. Griffin knew that Thalia was a lot of things, but she had known her since she was a little girl, and Thalia had never been a liar. She handed Thalia the med kit, knowing that she was giving Clarke the only protection that she could. Thalia put the med kit in the inside pocket of her jacket and followed Dr. Griffin back to the guards.

As she was being ushered into the drop ship Thalia saw one of the faces she had been looking for: a young man, 6'1" with blonde hair and blue eyes, who was wearing a black uniform – a guard, not a prisoner - Luke Castellan. No guards were being sent with them on this odyssey; there would be no chance to say goodbye. Luke held her gaze for as long as he could until she was led out of sight.

Thalia ended up strapped into a seat next to Clarke who looked like she was just waking up from a tranqu dose. She knew from experience that Clarke would have a headache. Thalia felt her stolen gun press into her back and the weight of the med kit in her pocket. Looking at Clarke, Thalia knew that she would have done whatever she could to protect her even if Dr. Griffin had not paid for it. Clarke was a friend, a real friend. Thalia didn't have too many of those. As the drop ship was ejected from the Ark and started to move through space, Thalia fingered the beaded bracelet on her left wrist thinking that if they survived, they were going to need all the friends they could get.


	2. Prisoners Of The Ark

Chapter 2 - Prisoners Of The Ark

The first thing Clarke noticed when she woke up was a pounding headache. The second thing she noticed was the ache caused by the needles in her wrist band, which only hurt worse when she tried to adjust it.

"Ow," she said still groggy.

"You Ok?" asked a voice to her left. Clarke saw Thalia strapped into the seat next to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Welcome back," the voice to her right brought Clarke fully alert, and she turned to face the boy sitting beside her. Wells Jaha was tall and dark skinned, with a muscular build and a soldier's haircut. And the sight of him made Clarke furious.

"Wells, why the hell are you here?!"

"When I found out they were sending prisoners to the ground I got myself arrested," Wells said holding up his wrist to show that he was also wearing a wristband, "I came for you."

"How sweet," a sarcastic voice commented. Clarke looked around Wells and saw her friend Emily in the next seat, and on Emily's other side was her cellmate Iris - another old friend - who went by her last name, Glass. "Looks like the gangs all here."

Just then the drop ship shook violently, drawing gasps and a few screams from the nervous passengers.

"What was that?" Glass asked tensely.

"That was the atmosphere," Emily answered.

Monitors on the walls suddenly lit up and an image of the Ark's Chancellor appeared; a recorded message began playing. "Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance. And as your Chancellor it is my hope that you will see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us. Indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better we would have sent others. Frankly we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable..."

"They are so full of it," Emily said bitterly. "No offence," she added to Wells. Wells shrugged. He knew she wasn't just talking about the Chancellor.

"Your dad's a dick Wells," a boy somewhere behind them shouted.

"...If however you do survive," Chancellor Jaha's message continued, "Your crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean. A drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain. It was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain 300 people for up to two years. No one ever made it there. Because we could spare you no food, water or medicine, I cannot stress strongly enough that Mount Weather is life. You must locate those supplies immediately."

Clarke was distracted from the video message by cheering from the other side of the ship.

"Check it out!"

"Yeah, Finn!"

Clarke saw that a boy had unstrapped his harness and was floating in midair above the seats. He did a backflip which propelled him across the drop ship and came to rest in front of Clarke's row.

"Spacewalker Bandit strikes again!" Emily said with a laugh.

"Check it out," the boy, Finn, said to Wells. "Your dad floated me after all."

Wells wasn't amused, "You should strap in before the parachutes deploy."

"You two, stay put if you want to live!" a brunette girl sitting in the row across from Clarke shouted to two boys who were starting to unbuckle their harnesses. When the girl glanced around, Clarke saw that she had different coloured eyes, one blue and one green.

"Hey, you're the terrorist they put in solitary for a year, the child genius," Finn said to the girl with odd eyes. "Antonia Sinclair, right?"

"And you're the idiot who wasted a three months of oxygen on an illegal spacewalk," she replied harshly, not bothering to confirm her name.

"It was fun," Finn's tone implied that he thought that was reason enough to do anything. "I'm Finn," he introduced himself, reaching out his hand while still floating.

Antonia ignored him; Clarke listened to the close of the Chancellor's message. "You have one job, one responsibility: stay alive. Finally, I'm sure you're wondering about those wristbands..."

The boys that Antonia had warned were now fully unstrapped and staring to rise above their seats. "Stay in your seats!" she warned them again.

Suddenly the entire drop ship jerked hard to the side as it was pulled violently off course, and Finn and the other boys were slammed into the walls, one of them dislodging a bunch of cables that started throwing out sparks.

"That was the parachutes," said Antonia, who knew the engineering of a drop ship, trying to calm those who were panicking.

"Finn, are you OK?!" Clarke shouted, trying to see where Finn had landed behind her. People started screaming as their ride got a whole lot rougher.

"We're gonna die!" someone cried hysterically. There were more screams and shouts as the loose wiring rained sparks over the prisoners and the ship felt like it was going to shake apart.

"Brace yourselves!" Antonia shouted, "Retro rockets are next, in 3…"

"Clarke, there's something I have to tell you," Wells said urgently. "I'm sorry I got your father arrested."

"Don't you talk about my father!" said Clarke.

"…2…"

"Please! I can't die knowing that you hate me," Wells said desperately.

"They didn't arrest my father, Wells, they executed him!" Clarke shouted at him, her fury overtaking her fear. "I _do_ hate you!"

"…1!"

The drop ship gave another violent lurch that elicited more screams as the retro rockets finally fired, slowing their descent. Passengers clutched at their seats and their neighbors' hands in the long minutes that followed before the ship hit the ground, shook, shuddered, and finally was still.

XXXXX

On the Ark, Officer Callie "Cece" Kane stood facing a crown of people all demanding answers she wasn't authorized to give.

"I saw a ship launch, not more than twenty minutes ago!"

"Who was on it?"

"Was it the prisoners? They're just kids!"

"Are they going to Earth?" a woman pushing her way to the front of the crowd asked. "Did something change?"

Cece addressed the crowd, "Folks, as I said, at this time we cannot confirm or deny anything." Then she turned away and walked down the hall, leaving the guards to restrain the crowd as they kept on hurling questions at her back.

"Come on lady!"

"What's going on?"

"Is my son on that ship?"

Cece kept walking until she reached the Earth Monitoring Control Room. She walked in and headed towards her husband, Vice Chancellor Marcus Kane, second in command on the Ark, to give him a report on the situation outside.

"Not now," he said as he walked passed her to speak to the Head of Engineering, Mr. Sinclair.

"Total system failure," Sinclair said, "that's what we're looking at. All we know for sure is that they were off course when we lost contact so..."

"Tell me about communications," Kane interrupted.

"Other than the telemetry from those wristbands, we've got nothing. No audio, no video, no computer link; everything that we programmed in to help them is gone," Sinclair explained urgently. "They're on their own now!"


	3. We're On The Ground

Chapter 3 - On The Ground

Silence; that was the first thing that registered as the drop ship's passengers came out of their state of shock.

"Listen, no machine hum," one boy said, awed.

"Whoa. That's a first," his friend sitting next to him said.

"We're on the ground," Glass whispered to herself shakily.

"Iris, retract the claws please," Emily said calmly. Glass looked to where her hand was clutching Emily's arm hard enough to leave a mark, and she quickly let go.

"Sorry."

The ship gave one final shudder as everything settled into place. The sound of a seatbelt being unbuckled snapped them out of it, and then they were all unstrapping themselves and looking for a way out.

Clarke unstrapped herself and put a hand on Thalia's arm. Thalia had her eyes closed and was taking deep breaths. She looked pale. Clarke knew that this was the beginning of a crash she went into right after a high adrenaline rush. "Hey, look at me," Clarke said. Thalia opened her eyes and focused on Clarke. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," Thalia said unstrapping herself.

Clarke looked around and saw that Finn was already moving. He was kneeling next to one of the boys who had been unstrapped when the ship landed. Clarke rushed over to the other boy. She checked for a pulse but found none. "Finn is he breathing?" she asked. Finn looked at her and shook his head.

"The outer door is on the lower level. Let's go!" someone shouted.

"No, we can't just open the doors!" Clarke said urgently moving towards the hatch that led to the lower level. Thalia got up and followed right behind her.

As they climbed down the ladder to the first level of the drop ship, the heard a crowd already formed pushing towards the door. "Hey, just back it up guys," someone said. Thalia looked down and saw a tall, older boy with dark, slicked back hair motioning the people to step back while he reached for the lever that would release the door. She didn't recognize him.

"Stop!" Clarke shouted over the crowd, already at the bottom of the ladder. She pushed her way to the front of the crowd. "The air could be toxic!"

_._

_I'm waking up to ash and dust. I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust. I'm breathing in the chemicals_

_._

"If the air's toxic, we're all dead anyway," the boy said reaching for the lever.

"Bellamy?" A soft voice near the back of the room stopped him.

The voice came from a pretty brunette girl who was just coming down one of the ladders from the second level. She came to the bottom of the ladder and moved through the crowd until she stood in front of the older boy, Bellamy. The look on her face said that this was someone she thought she would never see again. This girl was someone that Thalia recognized, and hearing her say the boy's name Thalia stared, realizing who he was. She'd never spoken to the girl – never had a reason to – but her story was one that everyone knew, at least in part.

"That's the girl they hid under the floor," someone whispered loudly.

"My God, look how big you are," said Bellamy. She hugged him, and then took a step back, looking at him.

"What the hell are you wearing? A guard's uniform?" she asked.

"I borrowed it, to get on the drop ship. Someone's got to keep an eye on you," he said smiling, and then he hugged her again.

"Where's your wristband?" Clarke asked, seeing that he wasn't wearing one.

"Do you mind?" the girl said turning to Clarke, annoyed. "I haven't seen my brother in a year!"

"No one has a brother!" a boy in the crowd exclaimed.

"You're Octavia Blake! The girl they found hidden in the floor," said a girl with grey eyes and honey blond hair standing near the front of the crowd. Octavia looked at her, and lunged forward looking ready to claw her eyes out, but her brother held her back. The blonde girl didn't flinch, just looked at Octavia sizing her up, and decided she wasn't a threat either way.

"Octavia, no!" Bellamy said, holding her back. "Let's give them something else to remember you by."

"Yeah, like what?" Octavia asked, still angry.

The blonde girl she tried to attack stepped forward before Bellamy could answer. "Like being the first person on the ground in a hundred years," she said with a smile.

Octavia looked at her, and then turned back to Bellamy, smiling too. He nodded and reached again for the lever, pulling it down. There was a hiss of air as the door released, and then bright light as it opened before them making a ramp to the ground.

_._

_I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus. This is it, the apocalypse...__Whoa!_

_._

Octavia blinked, letting her eyes adjust, and stared in wonder at what was in front of them. Beautiful woodland filled up the space they could see from inside the ship. Trees everywhere, with moss growing on the bark, grass carpeting the ground; everything was so green and bright, so alive. She took her first steps forward, drawing in a deep breath of fresh air for the first time. Even the air felt alive!

She reached the bottom of the ramp and paused before taking the last step, onto the ground. She looked back at Bellamy, who was holding his arm out to stop others from following her just yet and smiling at the look of sheer joy on his little sister's face. Everyone else was frozen, watching her. This moment was hers.

Octavia walked a few feet from the drop ship and looked around. There were trees all around them for as far as she could see. She looked up to see the sunlight streaming through the tree tops and felt the kind of warmth that no one on the Ark had ever felt. She raised her hands toward the sun and shouted as loud as she could, "We're Back Bitches!"

_._

_I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones, enough to make my system blow!_

_Welcome to the new age, to the new age_

_._

With that, the spell was broken. Everyone surged forward through the door of the ship like a river let loose, shouting, cheering and running in every direction, avoiding the smoking trees that had been felled by their landing. Bellamy came up to Octavia and gave her a one armed hug before being swept away by the flow of 100 prisoners rushing to freedom.

Before she could follow him she felt a hand on her arm and turned to see the blonde girl she almost had a confrontation with earlier.

"Nice announcement," the girl said, laughing. "I'm Annabeth. Come on, let's check this place out." And she and Octavia went running off to the trees, their hostilities from a few moments ago forgotten.

Clarke jumper off the side of the ramp and stared at what was around her in awe. Her friends Emily and Glass came out after her, as intoxicated as everyone else.

"Clarke, we made it! We're here!" Emily said bouncing on her feet as though she couldn't stay still, more animated than Clarke had seen her in a long time.

_._

_Welcome to the new age, to the new age_

_._

Emily took Glass's hand and led her off to the trees. Glass' flowing blond hair was flying in every direction as she kept turning her head, trying to take in everything at once. Their excitement was infectious, but Clarke held back from following them. Instead she turned to check on Thalia who had come out and was leaning against the side of the drop ship looking around in wonder, but making no move to join the celebrations.

"You sure you're Ok?" Clarke asked. Thalia nodded, but Clarke was still worried. "You should sit down for a minute. I'll be right back."

XX

"Emily!" Glass called out, trying to keep up with her friend. "Emily, wait!"

Glass got no response and slowed to a stop, unable to keep up with Emily – and not wanting to go too far from the ship – as her friend ran on ahead showing no sign of stopping.

"Glass, what happened?" Wells came running up behind her, hearing her shouting. "Where's Emily?

"I don't know," Glass said, running a hand through her hair. "She just took off running."

Wells didn't bother asking why; it seemed like something Emily would do. "Which way did she go?" he asked.

"That way," said Glass, pointing out the direction that Emily had gone in.

"Stay here, I'll get her," Wells said and started running in the direction that Glass indicated.

"Good luck," Glass said laughing softly. He'd need it to catch Emily if she didn't want to stop.

Wells wasn't really worried about Emily; she could take care of herself. But she could also be reckless, and down here there was nobody to stop her if she got carried away. So he ran after her. Emily was fast but so was he, and he could already see her up ahead.

Emily loved the feeling of being able to run, of being able to do something, _anything_ physical after being in a cell for ten long months. Her mind took in every sensation as she moved, as Glass' voice, and the noise of the other prisoners, fell away behind her. The woods closed around her and she felt the air rushing over her face and through her hair as it trailed behind her, heard the rustling of the bushes she brushed past, and felt the leaves, twigs and stones that crunched and clattered under her boots.

More than that, she felt her blood pumping, her breath moving easily through her lungs, her muscles working, not the least bit fatigued; she hadn't lost her edge. When she'd done exercises in their cell to stay in shape, like holding a difficult position for hours, Glass had asked her before how she had the patience for it. Emily could be very patient. She knew how to wait and be still and quiet, but honestly, she _really_ didn't like to. She wanted to be moving. Being in the Skybox without access to any of the activities that were her usual outlet, Emily had a lot of tension to run off and she fully intended to.

But apparently she wouldn't get to right now as she heard someone coming up behind her. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that it was Wells, though she could have guessed that. He was the only one who would have come after her _and_ was fast enough to. Emily was tempted to quicken her pace to see if she could outrun him – she and Wells had often been competitive with each other growing up – but maybe now wasn't the time. Wells caught up to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop.

"What?!" Emily exclaimed, spinning around to face him. Her irritation didn't last though, "Wells, can you believe that this is actually happening?"

"You should be careful," said Wells, predictably trying to be the responsible one. "We don't know this place, it could be dangerous. We could get lost."

"Wells, stop being such a kill joy," she said, brushing off his concern. "After 97 years, _we_ are the first to come down from the Ark. Look around," she said, spreading her arms to take in the whole forest. "This, us being here, is _amazing_. Not to mention the fact that we survived the trip down to begin with." She looked at him knowingly; they'd always dreamed of coming to Earth, never believing that they actually would. "Don't tell me you're not excited."

Wells took a moment to look around. It was beautiful here. And Emily was right, just the fact that they were here, alive, was amazing. "OK, you're right, it is exciting," Wells said nodding, unable to contain a grin; Emily laughed. "But could we _please_ be excited back in that direction?" he asked pointing back the way they had come, towards the drop ship.

"Fine," said Emily, smiling impishly, "I'll race you back." And she took off running with Wells close behind her, eager to see who would win.

XX

Clarke walked away from the drop ship, but instead of joining the festive atmosphere under the trees, she walked towards a ravine that gave her a view of the landscape. She unrolled a map that she found in the drop ship and compared it to what she saw Weather was marked on the map in red and if Clarke was reading the map correctly, they weren't on it.

"Why so serious, Princess?" Finn said coming up behind her. "It's not like we died in a fiery explosion."

"Try telling that to the two guys who tried to follow you out of their seats," Clarke said, still reading the map.

"You don't like to be called 'Princess', do you Princess?"

"You see that peak over there?" Clarke asked impatiently, pointing to a mountain in the distance on the other side of the ridge.

"Yeah"

"Mount Weather," Clarke explained. "There's a radiation soaked forest between us and our next meal. They dropped us on the wrong damn mountain!"

_._

_Woaaahh…Woaahh…I'm radioactive, radioactive!_

* * *

><p>The song lyrics featured in this chapter are from Radioactive by Imagine Dragons<p> 


	4. They're All Criminals

Chapter 4 - They're All Criminals

Back on the Ark in the Earth Monitoring control room, Dr. Abby Griffin stood looking at computer monitors that covered half the wall. Each monitor was divided into cells and each cell held a prisoner's ID number, name and picture, along with their vital signs being transmitted by the wristbands.

"There it is," Vice Chancellor Kane addressed the room. "We know they've landed but communications are down, so we're still blind to conditions on Earth. Thanks to Abby's wristband we at least know how those conditions affect the human body, which is more than we've had for a hundred years, so good job everyone. Now what are they telling us?"

Dr. Griffin stepped forward. "Two dead kids, dark tiles," she said indicating to tiles on the board that were black. "Dr. Jackson, please share our theory with Councilor Kane," she said to her assistant.

"Of course," said Jackson. "Granted, they've only been on the ground for seven minutes, but as of now we believe that the fatalities are due to the landing, not radiation levels."

"Rough landing, that's your theory?" Kane asked skeptically.

"The dots connect," replied Dr. Griffin.

"Would you agree that if it was radiation we'd see fatalities climb fairly quickly now, because I'm noticing a lot of red on that board," Kane commented.

"Spiking vital signs," Dr. Griffin explained. "Two possibilities: one, injuries sustained during landing."

"And the other?"

"They're excited to be there," said Cece Kane, staring at the board, at one tile in particular. The picture of the girl on the tile looked like a younger version of herself - the same Asian features and strait black hair - except for her eyes; she had her father's brown eyes. Abby wasn't the only one with someone she loved on the ground.

XXXXX

Emily Kane sat with her legs crossed on the ramp of the drop ship putting her long dark hair into a single French-braid, and watching Clarke as she traced a path from the drop ship to Mount Weather on the map and calculated how far it was. Clarke's friend Thalia was sitting further up the ramp, leaning against the door frame. She looked exhausted, and Emily had heard Clarke ask if she was OK twice since they landed. Emily didn't ask what was wrong though; Thalia didn't look like the kind of person who welcomed questions or wanted your concern. Emily respected that.

Wells and Glass came out of the drop ship where they had been checking the communications system, and the few supplies that had been sent with them. They stepped down to join Clarke.

"We got problems," said Wells. "The communications system is dead. I went up to the roof, a dozen panels are missing. Heat fried the wires."

"And I checked the supplies packed in the third level. There are some tents, blankets, backpacks with rope, flashlights and some other camping gear, but no food, water or medical supplies," Glass reported. She and Wells both agreed not to tell anyone what else they'd found in the third level just yet.

"When the Chancellor said he sent us with nothing, he meant it," Emily chimed in.

"All that matters right now is getting to Mount Weather. Look," said Clarke showing them the rout on the map. "This is us, and this is where we need to get to if we want to survive."

"Where did you learn to do that?" Wells asked. Clarke tensed, and Emily and Glass exchanged a look. "Your father," Wells answered his own question.

They were distracted from the sudden tension by a pale-skinned boy wearing goggles pushed up on his forehead who wondered over to see what they were doing.

"Cool, a map," he said looking between Clarke and Wells. "They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you a drink," he joked.

Wells took his arm and pushed him back a few steps, "Do you mind?"

"Hey," a new voice called out. Wells turned to see a group of boys walking up led by a slim boy with brown hair and an unpleasant look on his face. "Hands off of him, he's with us."

"Relax," Wells said turning to face them. "We're just trying to figure out where we are."

"We're on the ground. That not good enough for you?" Bellamy demanded, coming up with his sister.

Emily uncrossed her legs and climbed down from the ramp to stand with Clark, Wells and Glass. Thalia sat up from where she had been resting, paying close attention now. She knew a fight brewing when she saw it. Especially when she saw who was leading the other group: John Murphy and John Mbege. Both of them arrested for violent crimes, both deserved to be locked up, and both of them idiots who didn't know how to think past their fists.

Then there was also the stranger wearing a guard's uniform, Bellamy Blake. Whatever else he might be, he was a wild card down here, the only person that Thalia didn't really know. One thing she did know is that he was definitely not a guard. Thalia hung back waiting to see how the situation played out.

"We need to find Mount Weather," Wells explained. "You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority."

"Screw your father," Octavia said. "What, you think you're in charge here? You and your little _princesses_," She added looking at Clarke and Emily with a sneer.

"Do you think we _care_ who's in charge?" Emily asked with disdain. She instantly disliked Octavia. And she hated to be called princess.

"We need to find Mount Weather," Clarke intervened, "not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait the hungrier we'll get and the harder this will be. How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a twenty mile trek, Ok. So if we want to get there before dark we need to leave, now."

"I've got a better idea," Bellamy said. "You three go, find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change."

"Yeah," several voices in the gathering crowd agreed.

"You're not listening. We all need to go!" said Wells.

"Oh, look at this everybody, The Chancellor of Earth," Murphy said, pushing Wells.

"You think that's funny?" said Wells.

Murphy pushed him again, tripping his leg so that Wells fell to the ground, his ankle sprained. "No, but that was," Murphy said, while people in the crowd laughed.

"Wells!" Glass called out. She and Clarke moved forward to help him but Mbege held them back.

Emily turned on Mbege and hit him with three rapid punches to the chest – twelve years of martial arts training coming in handy – forcing him back and leaving him gasping for breath. "Keep your hands to yourself," she said angrily.

Meanwhile, Wells had gotten back to his feet, but was limping. Still he raised his fists ready to fight when Murphy stepped forward to challenge him again. Most of the former prisoners were watching now and started calling out.

"Come on, get him!"

"Back off Murphy"

"Fight! Fight!"

"What you gonna do now Wells?"

Just then, Finn jumped down from a ledge on the drop ship where he had been watching, and landed between Wells and Murphy. The crowd went quiet. "Kid's got one leg," he said to Murphy. "Why don't you wait until it's a fair fight?"

Murphy and Finn stared each other down until Octavia walked up to Finn. "Hey Spacewalker," she said with a flirtatious smile, "Rescue me next."

Finn smiled, the tension broke, and the crowd laughed and started to disperse. Glass and Clarke rushed over to Wells to help him back over to the ramp. Murphy, Mbege and the rest of their group walked off. Bellamy came over to Octavia and looked at her incredulously.

"What?" she asked. "He's cute."

"He's a criminal."

"They're all criminals."

Bellamy took her arm and started leading her away from the people still milling around. "Look O, I came down here to protect you."

"I don't need protecting!" she said pulling her arm away. "I have been locked up, one way or another, all my life. I am done following orders!" Octavia looked at her brother imploringly. "I need to have fun Bell. I need to just…do something crazy, just because I can. And no one, including you, is gonna stop me."

"I can't stay with them O," Bellamy said quietly, nodding towards the group.

"Now what are you talking about?"

Bellamy looked around, and then led Octavia further away from the group so that they would not be overheard. "I did something, to get on the drop ship. Something that they will kill me for when they come down."

Octavia looked at him, worried, "What did you do?"

"I can't say what just yet but I need you to trust me. You do still trust me don't you?"

Bellamy and Octavia looked at each other, the only brother and sister on the Ark, and now on the ground. All they'd ever really had was each other. "Yeah, I trust you."

XXXXX

Thalia looked out over the 100 prisoners that had been sent to Earth. She was glad to see that for the most part they had the sense to stay close to the ship. The forest was all green all the time and completely unfamiliar to them; It would be easy for people to get lost. Now that the excitement had simmered down, people were milling around in groups talking about what they wanted to do first, going exploring, and wondering what was going to happen to them down here.

Thalia walked over to where Clarke was checking Wells' ankle. "Good to go?" she asked.

"It's just a sprain," Clarke said to both of them. "It should be fine in a day or two, but you're not going anywhere today Wells." Clarke stood up and turned to Thalia "You're staying too, Thalia."

"Clarke, I keep telling you I'm fine."

"No you're not," Clarke said worried. "If your blood sugar drops too low you could go into shock. You should take it easy for now."

Thalia thought that Clarke was a lot like her mother; she gave you the truth and didn't bother to try to sugar coat it - one of the things she liked most about her. "OK, Clarke. I promise I will take it easy. You be careful, OK." Clarke nodded.

"Great. Let's get some packs from the drop ship and get going," Emily said, jumping up. "Any excuse to get away from this crowd."

"I'm going to stay here with Wells," Glass said, looking at him worriedly.

"Glass, I'm fine," he said.

"I'm not leaving my best friend alone here with a pack of wolves circling!" Glass stated, her green eyes shining. Wells and Clarke knew well enough that she wouldn't change her mind.

Clarke followed Emily into the drop ship to grab some gear for their trip. Thalia turned away from Wells and Glass without a word and walked away from the group to a shaded spot under the trees. She moved further into the trees until she was out of sight of the others and sat down pulling the med kit out of her jacket pocket. As she was filling a syringe she heard footsteps behind her. Thalia didn't try to hide the meds; she already knew who it was.

"Hi, Annabeth," Thalia said without looking up.

"Where'd you get that?" Annabeth asked, sitting down next to her.

"It was a gift."

Annabeth waited, and then just shrugged when Thalia didn't explain - she knew that Thalia wouldn't say more if she didn't want to. Annabeth waited while Thalia injected herself with the meds and put the kit back in her jacket pocket, and then they both got up and started walking back towards the group.

"If you already have meds, then why did you let Clarke think that you're still sick?" Annabeth asked when they paused at the tree line. Thalia smiled; Annabeth didn't miss a thing. Thalia looked out over what was looking to be their camp site. It was true she had known that as her friend and the closest thing they had to a doctor that Clarke wouldn't want her going on the hike to Mount Weather if she thought Thalia wasn't well. Thalia looked at the groups that had started to form around camp, and thought of the fight that almost broke out when they had been here less than an hour.

"I know almost everyone here, if not personally then at least by name or by their record," Thalia replied. "We knew what to expect from them in the Skybox but down here…it's a whole new game."

"A whole new world," Annabeth added smiling.

Thalia smiled with her closest friend. Annabeth Chase had an infectious smile that made anyone want to smile with her. That combined with her curly blond hair and the dappled sunlight shining through the trees made her look like a princess out of a storybook, though Thalia knew she was far from it.

While Annabeth looked like a ray of light in the trees (blonde hair, light grey eyes, blue pants, a light blue shirt and hoody, and pink jacket) Thalia looked like a shadow moving through the trees (short black hair, shocking blue eyes and all black clothes). The two were as different in personality as they were in appearance, but they had known each other their whole lives and trusted each other above anyone else.

"I want to stick around, keep an eye on things, and see how people react," Thalia said, serious again. "I want to see how things start to settle here."

"You mean _if_ they settle," Annabeth added skeptically. They were both thinking how easily a group of 100 juvenile delinquents could be stirred up.

Thalia saw Clarke and Emily coming back out of the drop ship. Even before she had been put in the Skybox ten months ago, Thalia knew who Emily was. Everyone on the Ark did. Just as Wells Jaha was known for being the Chancellor's son, so was Emily Kane known for being the Vice Chancellor's daughter. Emily was also known for being the champion in martial arts competition for the last four years. And Thalia knew that Emily was one of Clarke's childhood friends (Clarke had talked about her often enough). She would watch out for Clarke, leaving Thalia free to watch everyone else.

"You were talking to Octavia earlier, right?" Thalia asked.

"Yes," Annabeth replied. "So?"

"Do me a favor. Stay close to her."

Annabeth looked at Thalia questioningly. "You only ask those kinds of favors when you think someone is going to be trouble. Octavia has issues, but she's harmless."

"I know," said Thalia. "It's not her that I'm concerned about."

"Her brother," Annabeth guessed. "Can you believe that they're really siblings?"

Thalia shrugged, "Like I said, I know everyone down here, except for him."

"And you hate not knowing," Annabeth said teasingly.

"You know me too well," Thalia countered. "One of the best ways to get to know someone is to know the people closest to them. And what's closer than brother and sister? Besides, that girl could definitely use a friend, don't you think."

"I can do that." Annabeth paused for a moment before asking, "Did you see Luke before we left?"

"Saw him; didn't speak to him."

Annabeth put her hand on Thalia's shoulder for a moment but didn't say anything. There was nothing to say, nothing could be done. Annabeth went off to where Octavia was approaching Clarke and the others, while Thalia stayed just under the tree line, and walked around the edge of the clearing. She came across a group of people sitting in the shade of the trees, talking about what could be happening on the Ark. Two of them she knew: Antonia Sinclair and Tandoori Angel. The others she knew enough of to know that they could be useful. It was time for her to make some new friends.


	5. Beautiful & Creepy

Chapter 5 - Beautiful & Creepy

Clarke and Emily came out of the drop ship, Clarke carrying a backpack and Emily carrying a long bundled pack. When Clarke asked what it was, Emily replied cryptically, "Just something I might need. I'll show you later."

"So, Mount Weather," Finn said coming up, "when are we leaving?"

"Right now," Clarke turned to Wells and Glass. "We'll be back tomorrow with food."

"How are the three of you going to carry enough food for a hundred?" Wells asked.

Finn looked around and pulled two boys out of the group of people standing closest to them: the kid with the goggles, Jasper Jordan, and his friend who was chewing on a piece of some plant, Monty Green.

"There, five of us," said Finn. "Can we go now?"

"Sounds like a party. Make it six," Octavia said, joining the group. Emily scowled.

"Seven," Annabeth said coming up behind her.

"Great, now there's two of them," Emily said to the side.

"You're coming too?" Octavia asked Annabeth.

Annabeth smiled. "Not that I don't trust you all to bring enough food back for the rest of us out of the goodness of your hearts…"

"I wouldn't," Emily slipped in.

"…but my dad always told me that if I wanted something, to go get it myself."

"Octavia, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Bellamy took Octavia's arm and tried to pull her away.

Octavia pulled her arm out of his grip, "I'm going for a walk."

"Hey, were you trying to take this off?" Glass asked Finn, noticing that his wristband was cracked.

"Yeah, so?" Finn said.

"So, this wristband transmits your vital signs to the Ark. Take it off and they'll think you're dead," Glass explained.

"Should I care?"

"I don't know," Clarke said stepping in. "Do you want the people you love to think you're dead? Do you want them to follow us down here in two months? Because they won't if they think we're dying."

Finn looked at her and nodded. He heard what she had to say, and he wasn't the only one. Behind Clarke, Bellamy was listening intently too.

"Ok, then let's go" said Clarke. Finn headed out of camp with Jasper and Monty following him. Clarke picked up her backpack and turned to Wells. "You shouldn't have come here Wells" she said, her voice flat and cold. She followed after Finn, with Emily right beside her.

"Are you coming?" Annabeth asked Octavia.

Octavia looked at Bellamy, pleading with her eyes. He couldn't resist that look. "Go on," he said. Octavia kissed him on the cheek and followed the others.

"Do we really need to put up with her for two days?" Emily said quietly to Clarke, nodding back towards Octavia.

"Let it go Em," Clarke said. "We've got bigger problems."

Octavia and Annabeth brought up the rear of the group.

"Before you get any ideas," Octavia said, "Finn's mine."

"Before you get any ideas," Annabeth replied, "I don't care."

XXXXX

Abby Griffin had been busy for the last hour monitoring the situation on Earth by the only means available to them, the transmitions from the wristbands. A few in particular she was keeping a closer eye on than the others. She worried a bit at the spike in vital signs from Wells Jaha, which indicated a pain response, but it subsided and did not seem to be too significant. Still Abby closed her eyes and said a silent prayer that Clarke and her friends were alright. Abby shook herself out of it and focused her attention on the tile labeled 'Thalia Grace'. The transmition showed that Thalia's vitals were stabilizing, her blood sugar had risen slightly and the fatigue toxins in her blood were down. Thalia had taken the medicine that Abby gave her. Abby sighed in relief, hoping that the risk she took to get the meds was worth it, that Thalia kept her word. Abby knew that Clarke would need all the friends she could get.

Cece came up to Abby's work station and gave her friend a small smile. "Hey, darling," she said "How are the girls doing?"

Abby hit a few keys on the computer that enlarged two of the prisoner tiles on the board: 'Clarke Griffin' and 'Emily Kane'. "Their vital signs are strong. No signs of injury or distress," Abby said. "Blood sugar's low though. They haven't eaten."

Both mothers looked at the board for a moment, at the pictures of their little girls who looked so much older than how they thought of them. Abby and Cece both hoped that their daughters, who had been friends their whole lives, would be able to watch out for each other like they had always done. And that it would be enough to keep them safe. They were snapped out of it by a phone ringing. Abby reached across the desk and answered it. She listened for a moment and her face turned deadly serious. She slammed the phone down and rushed to the door calling to her assistant "Jackson call down to the OR, we need blood, A-, and a lot of it. Then get your ass down there."

As Dr. Jackson scrambled to do as she said, Cece called out, "Abby, what's wrong?"

Abby turned at the door, said "The Chancellor's been shot!" and then took off down the hall.

XXXXX

The party on their way to Mount Weather hiked through the woods, over the rises and falls in the terrain, with Clarke urging them on anytime they became distracted by the new sights and sounds around them. They had been hiking for some time when they came across a patch of small purple wildflowers growing in the moss on boulders and trees.

Clarke was in the lead and walked past without slowing. Emily kept pace with her even as she kept turning to look at all the different spots of colour blended together around then, a sharp striking contrast to anything on the Ark.

Emily was still carrying the long wrapped package and Annabeth got curious enough to ask, "What is that, anyway?"

Emily paused, and then turned back to the others and unwrapped the pack to reveal a long slightly curved sword in a black sheath. Clarke recognized it as the katana that Emily used in martial arts exhibitions on the Ark. Few people were allowed to handle those kinds of weapons, which were just for show on the Ark and were very carefully preserved and stored.

"Wow" said Jasper.

"Cool" said Monty.

"Do you know how to use that?" asked Annabeth.

In response, Emily unsheathed the sword and turned towards a tree with low hanging branches. Holding the sword with both hands, she made three slicing motions that were almost too quick to follow. As she re-sheathed the sword, the branch of the tree fell, sliced cleanly into three pieces.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Finn commented while Monty and Jasper gaped.

"Where did you get that?" Clarke asked. Weapons like swords were never allowed out of the training area, so how did one end up down here with them.

"In the third level of the drop ship, hidden," Emily said. "My mother put it there for me. Just before they put us on the drop ship she came and told me. In case I needed it."

"Wow," said Octavia snarkily. "The privileges of being one of the privileged; Mommy and Daddy give you whatever you need."

Emily turned to Octavia smirking. "Yes, my life was very privileged. I was a high class princess who got almost everything I wanted," she said sardonically. "As long as I behaved and did what I was told, sat still, didn't speak unless spoken to. Didn't think," Her voice got colder as she continued. "The first time I tried to voice an opinion that was different from what my father wanted, I got put in a cell. He would have my mother floated if he knew that she took this and gave it to me."

That gave Octavia pause. "He would do that to his own wife?"

"Why not?" This time Emily's smirk had a harsh edge to it. "He was going to do it to his own _daughter_," she said bitterly. Emily turned, slinging the strap on the sword sheath over her shoulder and walked ahead with Clarke. The rest of the group followed.

"Maybe you don't want to antagonize the sword wielding samurai," Annabeth suggested to Octavia.

"Ninja, actually," Emily said ahead of them – she also had pretty good hearing.

Ahead of the others, Clarke whispered to Emily, "I thought you were arrested for starting a riot in the rec center."

"Two of my best friends were in prison waiting to be executed, by my father," Emily said, deadpan. "That was my way of voicing an opinion." The two friends looked at each other, and then smiled, some of the tension leaving for the moment. If they both ended up getting dropped into a strange new world, well at least they had each other.

The group continued hiking and crossed another patch of wildflowers. Finn stopped to pick one and then tucked it into Octavia's hair while she smiled brightly at him.

"Now, that my friend is game." Jasper said to Monty, observing their flirtatious interaction.

"That, my friend, is poison sumac." Monty countered.

"What, it is?!" Octavia exclaimed, hurriedly brushing the flower out of her hair.

"Relax," said Monty. "The flowers aren't poisonous. They're medicinal, calming actually."

"Hey, would you please keep up!" Clarke called back from where she and Emily had pulled ahead of the others again.

"Come on Clarke," said Finn, jogging a few steps to catch up. "How do you block this all out?"

"It's easy," she replied. "I wonder why we haven't seen any animals. Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us! Sure is pretty though." Clarke turned and kept walking.

"Somebody should slip her some poison sumac," Octavia said to the boys.

"Your friend could learn to lighten up a little," Annabeth said, walking beside Emily now.

"Me, Clarke and Wells have known each other our whole lives, and she's always kind of been like that," Emily replied with a shrug.

"Uptight?"

"Focused; when she needs to do something she gets it done." Emily said defensively. "Then she'll lighten up." She had always admired Clarke's determination, though there had been times when she found it annoying too.

"Hey, Clarke," Annabeth called out. Clarke looked over her shoulder and let Emily and Annabeth fall into step with her. "If you're right, and we're all going to be dead in a few days anyway, then maybe we should all try to enjoy living while we're still alive."

"She is right, you know," Emily added. Clarke just kept walking.

The others were having their own conversation behind them. "I've got to know what you two did to bet busted," Finn said to Jasper and Monty.

"My family grows all the pharmaceuticals on the Ark," said Monty. "Let's just say, sumac isn't the only herb in the garden."

"And someone forgot to replace what we took," Jasper said, looking accusingly at Monty.

"I've apologized like a thousand times."

"What about you Octavia?" Jasper asked playfully. "What'd they get you for?"

Octavia's expression lost all playfulness, "Being born."

"Octavia," Annabeth called quietly, gesturing for Octavia to catch up and stay quiet. Octavia went ahead to where Annabeth was looking at something from behind a bush.

"That is so _not_ game," Monty said to Jasper. The boys came up to see what the girls were looking at.

Clarke shushed them and pointed to a clearing on the other side of the bush, where a deer was calmly grazing. It was a simple, beautiful sight and Clarke was reminded of a similar picture she had drawn on the wall of her cell in the Skybox. It was an amazing feeling to see the real thing.

"No animal's, huh," Finn said to her, creeping past the bush to get a closer look. He stepped on a branch and the sound brought the deer's head up. When it looked at them, they all started back and gasped. The deer had two heads! The animal bounded away in the other direction and they all stared after it.

"Well, that was both beautiful, and creepy," said Emily. "I say we keep moving."

"Yeah," they all agreed.

XXXXX

In the operating room of the Medical Center, Dr. Griffin and her surgical team were trying desperately to save the Chancellor's life. Surgery had been going on for hours and the prospects were grim. Still Dr. Griffin was determined that he should live, if only to stop the next in line from taking his place.

"The Chancellor's lost a lot of blood. If only they'd found him sooner," she said, diligently working to repair the damage caused by the bullet. The monitor tracking the Chancellor's vital signs started to pick up and beat erratically. "Damn it!"

"Abby, he's waking up!" Dr. Jackson said. The Chancellor's eyelids fluttered as the anesthesia started to wear off.

"Increase anesthesia," Dr. Griffin ordered.

"We've used too much blood and anesthesia. We're way over the line."

"Your Chancellor's going into shock!"

"You're asking me to break the law!" Jackson said worriedly.

"Fine, I'll do it myself." Dr. Griffin responded adamantly. "Let them come after me."

XX

Elsewhere on the Ark, Vice Chancellor Marcus Kane was evaluating both the situations on the Ark and on Earth. It seemed to him that the Chancellor's chances of survival were as slim as that of the 100 prisoners sent to the ground. He felt a slight twinge, the image of one of the prisoner profiles coming to the front of his mind, but he pushed it back; this was no time for sentiment. Kane turned to the man approaching him. "Commander Shumway," he greeted him.

"Sir, you asked me to keep you updated," Commander Shumway said respectfully. "The Chancellor is still in surgery, but we have identified the shooter. Bellamy Blake is the only person on the Ark unaccounted for. He stowed away on the drop ship." Shumway showed Kane an ID photo of Bellamy Blake on a portable viewing screen.

"Who is he?" Kane asked.

"He's no one, a janitor. We're still putting together a profile, but his motive for going to Earth is clear." Shumway brought up a prisoner profile for Octavia Blake on the viewing screen.

"A sister, I remember," Kane said. "Their mother kept her hidden for almost sixteen years - Nearly a record." Kane noticed that Shumway seemed preoccupied, "What is it Commander, spit it out."

"We could start now." Commander Shumway spoke quietly so as not to be overheard. "As acting Chancellor, you could give the order to start reducing the population."

Kane considered for a moment and said, "Not yet."

"Sir, we're wasting time. Removing The Hundred from the population only buys us another month. Engineering needs more than that to fix those systems, _if_ they can fix them at all."

"You have my answer, Commander. Enough," Kane said when it looked like Shumway would continue arguing. "If we're going to kill hundreds of innocent people, we're going to do it by the book, is that clear?" Shumway nodded, conceding. "Good. In the meantime, I want you to find out who helped this janitor get on that drop ship, because he sure as hell didn't do it by himself."

"Yes sir."

"It seems we have a traitor in our midst Commander. And The 100 have an assassin in theirs."


	6. Who's Gonna Run Things?

Chapter 6 - Who's Gonna Run Things?

Since the others left, Glass and Wells had been keeping themselves busy scouting for water and gathering firewood - Wells knew it would get colder once the sun went down. Glass had been stunned to see her best friend on the drop ship. She'd heard the ridiculous rumors that Wells had been confined, but hadn't given them a second thought until she'd actually seen him for herself. Then she realized he must have been trying to follow Clarke. Wells would do anything to protect the people he cared about, Clarke most of all. Returning to the drop ship with another load of firewood, Glass told Wells that he should stop to rest his ankle or it would get worse, but the pain in his ankle was nothing compared to the pain he felt from the look of pure loathing on Clark's face when she first saw him on the drop ship.

"You know, she would probably stop hating you if you told her the truth," Glass said. As always, she seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

"No," he said, setting a load of firewood down next to the drop ship. "Let it go Glass."

"I can't just let it go," Glass said, setting down her much smaller load. "I can't stand seeing you two like this," she said imploringly. "It's been the four of us – you, me, Emily and Clarke – since we were six years old. Now it's just us against the whole world and we need each other!" She paused before adding softly, "You and Clarke need each other."

"Telling her the truth would only hurt her worse" said Wells.

"Wells, she's hurting either way," Glass said sadly, "We all are."

"Iris," Wells said, turning to her and using her first name to show that he was serious, "you can't tell Clarke. Promise me."

Glass sighed, "I won't tell her Wells, because _you_ should." She let the matter drop for now. Glass knew it was unlikely that Wells would tell Clarke what really happened. He was right, the truth would hurt her worse, and Wells would never do anything to hurt Clarke, even if it meant that he was the one getting hurt. Glass wondered how Clarke couldn't see that.

Not for the first time, Wells wondered how Glass had ended up here, what she had done to be confined. She turned away from him when he tried to ask her earlier. Glass had been arrested a month after Clarke, and Wells and Emily had been unable to find out why from their parents, no matter how hard they pressed. Emily had been arrested two months later for staging her own form of protest against losing her friends who were like family to her, and against her father's cold disregard for her concerns. Wells knew that Emily disliked her father, and figured that wanting to break out of her father's control (or at least get his attention) is what drove Emily to do something drastic. Glass mostly just thought that Emily had always been a little bit crazy.

Wells shook himself out of his thoughts, "Come on, we still need to find a water source." Glass didn't answer, "Glass?"

"She's watching us," Glass said in a hushed voice. Wells followed her line of sight to where Thalia was walking by with a group of people on their way into the drop ship. Thalia had stopped at the bottom of the ramp and was looking at them – they could see the electric blue of her eyes from where they stood. She let the others pass her before turning and following them into the ship. Glass shivered, "She gives me the chills. Those eyes…it's like she's looking right through you."

"What do you have against Thalia?" Wells asked.

"Nothing," Glass said defensively. "There's just something about her. She's very…" Glass searched for the right word.

"Disconcerting?" Wells supplied.

"That's one word for it."

Wells had gotten the same impression, but still he pointed out, "She's Clark's friend."

"Yes, she's Clarke's friend," Glass agreed, "But that doesn't mean that she's our friend." She and Wells each picked up one of the empty canteens that they'd found in the ship to carry water in, assuming they found any.

"You find any water yet?" said someone behind them.

"No, not yet," Wells said, and then he turned around and saw that it was the same two guys from before. Thalia had told Clarke that their names were John Murphy and John Mbege and warned her to steer clear of them, that they were trouble. Wells wasn't afraid of them, but he decided to try the less hostile approach. "We're going back out again if you want to come."

Looking past them, Wells saw what they had scratched into the side of the drop ship with a piece of metal that Murphy had made into a knife.

FIRST SON, FIRST TO DYE

Murphy sneered. "You know, my father begged for mercy in the airlock chamber when your father floated him," he said.

Well wasn't afraid, he was angry. Murphy was a thug with a grudge and a vendetta, and his friend, Mbege, would go along with whatever he did. Wells knew that he could take one or two guys like them in a real fight – he was top of his class in hand-to-hand combat in officer training. But down here, there was one of him and 90 of them. And, though he knew that Glass was not as fragile as her name or size suggested, he didn't want her getting caught in the middle of it if a fight broke out. She was looking at him, worried; Wells kept his anger in check.

"You spelled die wrong, geniuses," he said pushing past them. He headed out of camp again with Glass close behind him. Glass looked over her shoulder and saw Murphy and Mbege still watching them, and so was that guy Bellamy. She knew more trouble was coming.

"If you're going to kill someone, it's probably best not to announce it," Bellamy said to Murphy and Mbege.

"You're not really a member of the guard are you?" a new voice said. A boy with brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair tied back in a rubber band, sauntered up. Mbege nodded to him like they knew each other. "Hey, name's Danny," he said to Bellamy.

"No, I'm not," said Bellamy, answering his question. "The real guard will be down here soon enough, unless we stop them."

"Stop them?" asked Danny.

"You don't really think they're going to forgive your crimes do you?" Bellamy asked, rhetorically. "Even if they do, guys like us, are we gonna become model citizens now? Get jobs? If we're lucky, maybe pick up their trash."

"What's your point?" Murphy asked impatiently.

"My point is this: they locked you up, and then dumped you down here like lab rats to die. So why are you helping them?"

"The hell we are!" Mbege said angrily.

"You're wearing those bracelets aren't you?" Bellamy gestured to their wristbands. "Right now those things are telling the Ark whether or not it's safe to come down."

"OK, you said we could stop them," Murphy said, "How?"

"Take them off. The Ark will think you're dead, that it's not safe to follow. You follow?"

"Say we did," asked Danny "what's in it for us?"

Bellamy grinned, "Someone's got to help me run things."

XXXXX

Abby was feeling drained; after hours of surgery, the stress of the day was starting to get to her, but there was still work to be done. Entering the Earth Monitoring control room she saw Cece and Marcus Kane consulting Engineer Sinclair about the new development that occurred. Looking at the board Abby saw more dark tiles than before.

Cece looked up as she approached and asked, "Abby, how's the Chancellor doing?"

"Ask me again if he makes it through the night," she said distractedly. "Who else did we lose?"

Sinclair checked the screen and replied, "Two boys, Murphy and Mbege, both named John."

"Neither of them was injured in the landing," Cece observed.

"I agree," said Sinclair, analyzing the data. "Something else killed these two. One second they were fine and the next, bang."

"Then it isn't radiation," said Abby.

"Come on Abby," Kane said condescendingly, "wishful thinking isn't good science."

"It's not wishful thinking, Kane" said Abby, turning to him. "'One second fine, and the next, bang' isn't how exposure to radiation presents."

"It could be, if there was enough of it."

"If there was enough of it, they would all be dead!" Abby said forcefully. She turned back to the board looking at Clark's statistics and checking the data for the faces she knew. All of them were so young, barley more than children, who had been sent away to die. She felt a heavy weight in her chest, and she wasn't the only one feeling it.

Sinclair stood up from his work station and came to her side appearing to analyze the data on the screens.

"I really hope your right," he said to Abby. Abby was reminded again that she wasn't the only one with a personal stake in this, besides the survival of the human race.

XXXXX

Thalia was in the second level of the drop ship watching the people who had come in with her take pieces of the machinery and computer systems apart and listening to Antonia Sinclair explain, in very technical terms, why most of the equipment wasn't working.

Looking at Antonia, you might think that the most striking thing about her was her eyes, one green and one blue, but what was really astounding about her was her mind. Antonia was not only the smartest person in lockup; she had probably been one of the smartest people on the Ark, as shown by her IQ and aptitude test that everyone was required to take.

At the age of 12 she had been recruited to train with the Ark's head technical team – which her father was a part of – and at 14 had proposed to her supervisors that the Ark systems were vulnerable. Though Antonia was considered to be a gifted child, no one in command every really listened to children, so Antonia decided to prove it to them. She created a programme to hack into the Ark systems and gain control, and used it to initiate a lock down during last year's Unity Day celebrations. It lasted for almost two days until they managed to trace her location, and a guard put a gun to her head and forced her to stop the hack. Antonia hadn't done any damage to the Ark or its systems, and the public was told that the lock down had been a precaution taken because of a malfunction. But after a year of being interrogated, the higher-ups still didn't know exactly how she had done it.

Thalia knew that almost everyone in the room right now had a somewhat similar story, had been arrested for being too smart for their own good. Carter Magna and Holly Hamilton, who were right now checking the components of the communications system, had also been arrested for computer hacking.

Carter, for creating fake ID tags that could fool most of the scanners on the Ark, and Holly for getting into the Ark's medical resource logs to requisition medication for her sick grandmother.

"This whole thing is a mess," Carter said, pulling out a piece of melted plastic and metal that was once a circuit board.

"Most of the circuits in here are toast," Holly agreed. "There's no way to get this thing running without new parts."

"Even if you got it to work, it wouldn't matter," said Annalee Call, a petite girl with dark hair in a pixie cut, coming down the ladder from the third level. She had been recruited to Mechanics, and arrested for illegal salvaging of machine parts. "I was just on the roof. The transmitter is completely blown, and the wiring is fried. A lot of the solar panels are missing too."

"Meaning…?" Thalia asked

"She means that even if we get the communications system running, we won't be able to send a signal out," Antonia explained.

"Well at least we got the lights back on," Conner Lassiter said. Conner was a big guy, with dark skin and his hair cut close, and was smart with tools; not so much with his mouth. He was arrested for a fight that had put someone in the hospital. "Now if only we had the air cooling system," he said wistfully, "Wouldn't want you ladies getting all hot and bothered."

"Slow it down hot shot," Ember Sans Souci cut in. "The lights are the only thing we're getting _on_ right now. We have Spacewalker to thank for that," she said snidely.

"Finn, why?" Thalia asked.

"He, and those two idiots who were unstrapped when we landed, knocked a bunch of cables loose, which sent power surges throughout the electrical system, which short circuited the computer equipment and fried a lot of the wiring in here," Ember explained testily.

The two idiots in question where Glen Dickson and Troy Davis; their bodies had been laid out in another compartment. Thalia would have them buried later – she remembered hearing that that is what people on Earth use to do with their dead – but right now there was work to be done.

"We're lucky the retro rockets on this thing were tied into the backup systems or else they might not have fired at all, and we wouldn't have slowed down enough to survive the crash," Antonia pointed out.

"It's gonna take a while to go over everything and see how much we can safely salvage," Ember already sounded exasperated.

"Only reason the lights are on now," Conner said helpfully, "is because the emergency backup lighting is on a separate power cell."

"I wouldn't recommend trying to turn anything else on just yet," Ember cut across him. "Right now the wiring in this ship is one big electrical fire waiting to happen." The burn scars on Ember's arms testified that she knew what she was talking about. She had been working as an electrician when an electrical fire had broken out, and had found out that it was caused by a coworker's mistake. What she hadn't realized at the time was that someone had tried to cover it up, and wasn't above letting her take the blame for it, which explained her anger and impatience at having to deal with other peoples' mistakes.

"The bottom line is that we're not talking to the Ark," Carter said to Thalia.

"There's not enough left of the communications system for us to fix," Holly confirmed.

"What about all the other systems?" Thalia asked thoughtfully. "Can you use what's not damaged from them to rebuild the communications system?" They all looked at her, and exchanged glances with each other.

"That could work if the components are compatible," said Violet, tying her brown hair back with a black ribbon to keep it out of her eyes – an old habit she had to help her think.

Violet was a self-proclaimed inventor, with an exceedingly curious mind, which is what had gotten her into trouble on the Ark. From a very young age she had always wanted to know how things worked, so she would take apart whatever made her curious and try to put it back together. More often than not she succeeded, and learned how to make improvements. Trouble for her came when she took apart something that was off limits. Not out of disregard for the rules, but more out of childlike curiosity. She could have put it back together (with her own improvements) if the person who found her had waited before calling security. If there was anyone down here who could figure out how to rebuild the communications system from parts of different machines, it was Violet.

"First thing we need to do is take apart the casing and see how bad it is, what needs to be replaced," Violet said.

"We already know we need a new circuit board," said Carter, "This one's slaged."

"We can take one out of the computer array," said Holly, pulling out a panel on one of the machines.

"Hold on, we may need those," Conner said. "The computers probably have information stored that can help us learn how to survive down here."

"Assuming, of course, that the hard drives weren't damaged and the data is still intact," Antonia put in.

"I can pull some of the wiring from over here and use it to tie the communication system into the computer array," Ember said. "We can connect them both to the backup power cell."

"That's good," said Annalee. "But the communication system would still be useless without a working transmitter."

And they were all off discussing whether or not they could repair or replace the transmitter, which pieces of equipment they could scrap for parts, and which parts they could not afford to lose. Thalia was glad for the distraction when the hatch to the first level was opened and someone climbed up. She was much better at dealing with people than technology; she could leave that to their resident geniuses. She turned to face the two new people who had come into the room, a boy and a girl.

The girl, Tandoori Angel, had light brown hair that hung loose past her shoulders and a face too serious for her age. Tandoori, or Tandy as some people called her, was as smart as the others in the room, but more book smart than tech smart.

The Ark library was temperature and climate controlled to preserve the books that were mostly kept behind glass cases. Tandy had read every book in the library that she could get access to (and many that she wasn't allowed access to) and remembered every word she'd ever read. She had been arrested for smuggling books out of the library.

"Thalia," Tandoori said. She nodded to where the others were still discussing (arguing). "You understanding anything that the tech heads are saying?"

Antonia, who was closest to them, looked over and scowled. "I'm a computer hacker."

"That's what I said," replied Tandoori with a smirk, "You're a techno freak."

"I prefer to be called a hacker," Antonia said angrily, stepping forward.

Thalia turned away from whatever argument they were about to have, which she got the sense had already been repeated many times before. Thalia knew that Antonia and Tandoori had always been antagonistic towards each other (at least as long as she'd known them) but she'd never gotten a clear reason why, mostly because she didn't really care. She turned to the boy who had come in. "Danny, you wanted something?"

"Do you have a minute?" Danny asked, nodding towards the hatch. He let Thalia go down first and then followed her down to the first level.

"What is it?" she asked right away.

"You asked me to keep an eye on that new guy, Bellamy" Danny said. "You were right about him being trouble. He's talking people into taking off their wristbands so that the Ark thinks we're dead." He told her about the conversation with Bellamy, Murphy and Mbege. "He's trying to put himself in charge down here."

Thalia didn't say anything. She walked over to the door of the drop ship and looked out at camp. The problem was that she knew a lot of the people down here would agree with not wanting the people on the Ark to come down, especially those who were orphans, who didn't have family on the Ark. Hell, part of Thalia had been thinking the same thing: the council had kept her locked up for half of her life, had taken her family from her, so screw them. She sure as hell didn't want to go back to living under the Chancellor's rules. But she did still have someone on the Ark that she wanted to see again. Looking back at Danny, she knew that a lot of other people did too. Still, Thalia knew that if Bellamy was recruiting that it wouldn't take much for people to get swept up in the high of their new found freedom. Too bad, she would have to do something about that.

"It won't matter what Bellamy and those guys do if we can get the communications system working, right?" Danny asked, drawing Thalia out of her thoughts.

"From what I could understand of the tech talk up there, they think they can get it to work, but they need a new transmitter," said Thalia.

"Where are they gonna get one of those? I doubt they have a parts depot down here," Danny said, pushing his hair that had come loose out of his eyes. Thalia's eyes caught on his wristband and she stared, thinking. "What?" Danny asked.

"These wristbands are all transmitting a signal to the Ark," she said.

"Yeah, so…?"

"So maybe one of our resident geniuses can turn one into a transmitter for the communication system."

Understanding dawned in Danny's eyes and he smiled, and then frowned when Thalia kept looking at him. "No," he said taking a step back. "Why can't they use yours?"

"Because you can get something that I can't get," Thalia explained. "Access, to Bellamy and whoever else is with him. You where one of the first people he talked to; Take off your wristband and they'll think you're one of them." When Danny still hesitated, Thalia stepped in front of him and looked him in the eye. "You want to see your mother again Danny? The best way to make that happen is to talk to the Ark. And keep an eye on Bellamy to make sure he and those other guys don't do something stupid."

Danny looked at Thalia and nodded, "OK."

Thalia went over to the ladder and called up for Conner and Antonia to come down. Tandoori came down with them, and Thalia filled them in on what Danny had told her and her idea for the wristbands.

"It should work," Antonia agreed, "If we can wire it into the communications system."

"Don't try to explain, just do it," Thalia said.

Conner worked at getting Danny's wristband off, using some tools that were in storage, while Antonia warning him to be careful not to deactivate it. When it was finally off Antonia examined it and said, "Yes, it's still active."

"You better get to work them," Danny said, rubbing his wrist.

"Antonia, tell the others not to let anyone know what they're doing in there," Thalia instructed. Antonia nodded and went back up to the second level. "Conner, hold on," Thalia said when Conner moved to follow her. "There's something else I need you to do."

Conner, Danny and Tandoori all came over to where Thalia was standing by the door again, in the shadow of the doorframe so that she could see out but no one looking in could see her. While they had been working on the wristband, Thalia had been considering the best way to handle Bellamy. Bellamy was going to offer them freedom, from the Ark, the council, the Chancellor and the rules - As long as he was in charge. Thalia's advantage was that she knew these people, and they knew her. Like Conner, who had gotten into plenty of fights both before and after he had been arrested. His reputation as a fighter had earned him respect in lockup, as well as the fact that most of his fights had been provoked when he was defending someone else. People liked Conner, he had friends around here.

"What?" Conner asked her. "What are you thinking?"

"I think our schemer is scheming," said Tandoori, recognizing the look on Thalia's face, "Coming up with a Coup de main, better known as preemptive strike."

"Calm down Tandy. It's nothing too dramatic just yet," said Thalia, then she turned to Conner. "I just want you to get reacquainted with some friends. People tend to follow the first idea that gets into their heads; Get to them before Bellamy does."

"And tell them what exactly?" Conner asked.

"That the world is big enough for all of us," Thalia said rolling her eyes. "Improvise something, they'll listen to you. Just try to be subtle. I don't want Bellamy to catch on. Go on." Thalia smiled at him and he smiled back. Conner walked out of the drop ship and called to two guys, friends of his, who were heading out of camp and caught up to them. Thalia stopped smiling as soon as he was gone.

Tandoori turned to her with an incredulous look on her face. "Do you always get people to do what you want so easily?"

"Sometimes you just have to ask nicely," Thalia shrugged, looking out of the door again.

Tandoori scoffed, "Yeah right. It's not often that _you_ are just being nice."

"You really think Conner can get people to listen to you instead of Bellamy?" Danny asked. "I mean, the idea of no rules is pretty tempting to a bunch of delinquents."

"People like Conner, they'll listen to him if he has something smart to say," said Thalia.

Tandoori scoffed again, "That doesn't happen often either."

"Which is why he won't be the only one that I trust to talk to people," Thalia said, her eyes landing on someone else that she counted as one of her real friends: Jason, a handsome boy with blond hair and blue eyes.

"That's funny," Tandoori said, "since you don't _really_ trust anyone, except maybe Annabeth. 'Words are easy, like the wind; Faithful friends are hard to find'."

Thalia didn't respond to that. Instead she turned to Danny and asked, "Who did you say Bellamy was talking to?"

"Those two Johns, Mbege and Murphy," Danny replied.

"He's recruiting thugs. I'm not surprised." Thalia thought that this might actually work in her favour. As far as anyone knew Danny Desai had been arrested for murder, but Thalia could tell you that he had been framed for murder. Rumor of what he had supposedly done, and the way he handled himself in lockup, made him someone people generally didn't mess with, and made people like Murphy and Mbege think he was one of them. Danny would be able to stay close to those guys and let her know any move they were making. "If Bellamy has muscle on his side then we're going to need people who actually know how to fight."

Thalia was already running through a list of people who she knew could fight - who had had some training - some of whom she'd been in fights with herself and done more than one stint in solitary because of it. Thalia looked out through the door again scanning camp until she landed on one of the faces she was looking for: Clarisse La Rue, an athletic 17 year old girl, with anger issues. She and her two friends, Daphne and Sharee, had forced a group of younger, smaller kids out of their spot in the shade, and were talking to each other. Clarisse was certainly not one of Thalia's favorite people, and the feeling was mutual. Clarisse was a bully, but she was also smart, some of the others followed her, and she had family on the Ark (her father came to see her on prisoner visiting days).

Thalia knew that Clarisse and her friends wouldn't want to follow her, but they sure as hell wouldn't take orders from Bellamy either.

"Oh, please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," Tandoori said, following Thalia's gaze to where Clarisse and her friends sat.

"I have to start somewhere," Thalia replied.

"You two have never exactly been friends from what I've heard," Tandoori pointed out.

Thalia knew that she was thinking of an incident that happened not long after Clarisse had been confined two years ago. Clarisse had made her mark intimidating those who were weaker than her and trying to take down those who were stronger. Thalia wasn't one to back down; words were said, things escalated from there and they both ended up doing three months in solitary. From that came a mutual enmity, but it was underlined with a mutual respect that they both had for someone who doesn't back down. "Let me worry about that," said Thalia.

"Good luck," Danny said doubtfully.

"Don't you have something to do?" Thalia said without looking at him. Danny just shrugged and walked off. She knew that he would do what she asked and stay close to Bellamy – Thalia would rather keep her distance for now.

"Exactly how are you planning to get Clarisse on your side?" Tandoori asked uncertainly.

"I don't need her with me," said Thalia. "I just need her against Bellamy."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Tandy, an easy way to get people to do what you want is to let them think that it was their idea in the first place."

As Thalia walked out of the drop ship Tandoori called after her, "I think I'll stay out of the line of fire for this one."


	7. The Ark Is Dying!

Chapter 7 - The Ark Is Dying!

Finn was leading the way down a steep incline with the rest of the group following him. They all picked their steps very carefully, avoiding rocks and the roots of the trees that reached so high that they couldn't see the top, until they reached the bottom of the incline where the ground leveled out.

"You know what I'd like to know," said Finn. "Why did they send us down here today, after 97 years? What changed?"

"Who cares? I'm just glad they did. I woke up rotting in a cell, and now I'm spinning in a forest," Octavia said holding the trunk of a thin tree with one hand and spinning around it.

"Yeah, you're a real fairy princess," Emily said, stalking past her.

"Maybe they found something on a satellite," said Monty. "You know, like an old weather satellite or..."

"It wasn't a satellite. The Ark is dying." They all stopped and turned to Clarke at that ominous pronouncement. "With the current population level there's roughly three months left of life support. Maybe four, now that we're gone."

"So that was the secret they locked you up to keep?" asked Finn. "Why they floated your dad?"

"My father was the engineer and he discovered the flaw. He thought the people had a right to know. The council disagreed…my mother disagreed. They were afraid that it would cause a panic. We were gonna go public anyway, when Wells..." Clarke trained off.

"When he what? Turned in your dad?" asked Monty.

"Anyway, the guards showed up before we could," Clarke pressed on. "That's why today. That's why it was worth the risk. Even if we all die…at least they bought themselves some more time."

"They're gonna kill more people aren't they?" Jasper asked worriedly. Clarke didn't answer, which was answer enough.

"Good," said Octavia, "After what they did to me I say float 'em all." She and Annabeth walked on ahead of the group.

Finn put his hand on Clarke's arm. "We have to warn them," he said.

"That's what my father said," said Clarke.

_And look where that got him_, Emily thought sadly. She stayed quiet through Clark's explanation. She knew it hurt Clarke to talk about her father, or Wells for that matter. It was all old news to her anyway, and though she knew a slightly different version of the story, she did not want to be in the middle of it. Emily walked on ahead of Clarke and Finn and heard Annabeth and Octavia talking.

"You don't really mean that," Annabeth said to Octavia – a fact, not a question.

"You think I don't?" Octavia said defensively.

"I _know_ you don't," said Emily coming up to them. "With the way you grew up you have plenty of reasons to be a total bitch – whereas for me it's just my natural setting," All three of them cracked a smile at that, "But you wouldn't really want people to die." Emily looked Octavia in the eye, "You're not cold. Trust me, I've seen people who are, and you're not."

"You're talking about your father?" Octavia asked, curious despite herself.

"My father is a cold hearted bastard with a God complex, who thinks he's the man who's going to save the human race," Emily said with contempt. She walked on saying, "Clarke's dad was more of a father to me than he ever was. He can go float himself for all I care."

"Wow," Annabeth said quietly to Octavia. "And I thought that you and I had issues."

"Oh my God," Emily said ahead of them. Octavia and Annabeth caught up to her and stared in amazement at what had made her stop. "Amazing, there's so much of it."

Annabeth turned to Octavia smiling. "Do you want to go first?" she asked. Octavia smiled back.

Clarke and the boys were making their way to the break in the trees that Emily, Annabeth and Octavia had already reached when she bumped into Jasper who had stopped suddenly and was staring ahead with his mouth open. "I love Earth!" he said.

Clarke looked ahead of Jasper and saw what had him so dumbstruck. Octavia was at the top of a rise of rocks stripping off her jumpsuit until she had on only her red shirt and underwear. "Octavia what the hell are you doing?" Clarke called out.

Octavia turned and smiled mischievously.

"Go for it!" Annabeth said. She and Emily where watching further back from the ledge.

"Is there any particular reason why you keep letting her go first?" Emily asked, remembering that Annabeth had been the one to say that Octavia should be the first one off the drop ship.

"Just letting her have some fun," Annabeth said with a shrug. "Anyway, if you wanted to go first then why didn't you?"

"Because if there is something dangerous out there, better her than me," Emily said nonchalantly.

Annabeth gave her a scrutinizing look. Emily's face was completely neutral, giving no hint of what she may really be thinking, and Annabeth got the sense that she'd had a lot of practice perfecting that mask.

They both looked back at Octavia in time to see her turn and jump off the ledge. They heard a splash. Clarke, Finn, Monty and Jasper rushed forward to where Emily and Annabeth had a better view, and started laughing in both relief and amazement. Octavia had jumped into a river.

"Oh my God," Clarke said, having the same reaction that Emily had to seeing so much water in one place, moving slowly, smoothly and endlessly. Octavia was a short distance away from the shore with only her head above water.

"Octavia, we can't swim," Monty called out to her.

"No, but we can stand," she replied, laughing. She stood up showing that the water only came up to her chest. "Come on in."

The others started taking off their shoes and jackets, eager to go for a swim, something that no one on the Ark had ever done before. "Wait," Clarke hesitated. "There's not supposed to be a river here." She reached into her pack to check the map.

"Well there is, Clarke," Emily said, moving down to where the edge of rocks was closer to the water.

"Yeah, so take your damn clothes off," Finn sad teasingly. Clarke smiled at him, set down her pack and started pulling her jacket off like everyone else.

Emily was the only one not getting undressed. She scooped up a handful of water to tentatively taste it. "That is so good," she said to the others, filling a canteen. "Fresh, unfiltered, unrecycled water. I never knew water could have a taste."

Annabeth was about to go in and join Octavia when she looked out past her and saw something else in the river.

"Octavia, get out of the water," Annabeth called out. The others all stopped what they were doing - Emily moved away from the edge - and looked out over the river to see what had her concerned.

"Look, there." Annabeth pointed across the river at a shape moving quickly under the water making ripples on the surface. It was heading straight for Octavia! "Octavia get out of the water now!" Annabeth shouted. Octavia turned to see what they were all looking at, and didn't even have time to scream before she was pulled under the water.

"Octavia!" Jasper shouted her name and ran to the edge of the rocks, frantically looking up and down the river for her. "Where is she? Do you see her?"

The sound of splashing and a muffled scream had them all looking to the right, further upriver. "She's there," Annabeth shouted, seeing Octavia being pulled through the water. They took off running along the shore trying to get closer.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Monty asked.

"We have to help her!" said Finn, ready to jump in after her.

"What are you gonna do?" asked Clarke.

"Try not to get eaten," Finn said moving towards the edge.

"Wait," said Clarke, pulling him back, "If we distract it, it might let her go." She went over to some loose rocks near the edge of the river. "Help me!" she said trying to push them in. Finn joined her and some of the small rocks fell into the river, but the bigger ones were stuck.

"Move," said Emily, drawing her sword. They shifted out of her way and she forced the end of her blade into the crack beneath the rocks and, with their help, used to better leverage to force the rocks over the edge. The bigger splashes got the creatures attention.

"It worked. It let her go," said Monty.

"Octavia, get to the shore now!" Jasper yelled, running to where the riverbank was lower down so that he could reach her.

"The water's deeper there. She can't swim," Annabeth warned, seeing that Octavia couldn't stand up.

Jasper didn't hesitate; he jumped in and got an arm around Octavia. His feet could just barely touch bottom, but he started pulling her back to shore as best he could. The creature that grabbed Octavia swam right where the rocks had fallen into the river and Clarke, Emily and Finn got a good look at it. It looked like a giant snake, maybe 15 feet long and a foot thick, with green and black skin. They stared in stunned silence as it passed right beneath them, cutting through the water effortlessly. Finding nothing of interest at the source of the splashes the creature circled around, heading back to where it had dropped Octavia.

"It's coming back!" Monty warned from the shore. "It's heading right for you guys!"

Jasper reached the riverbank with Octavia, and Monty and Annabeth rushed forward to help them. Jasper pushed Octavia up to the edge where Annabeth got hold of her and pulled her up, while Jasper climbed up with Monty's help. "Pull your feet up," Annabeth warned. Jasper and Octavia got their feet clear of the water not a second too soon as they looked back and saw the river snake swim by, right where they had been just a moment ago.

Annabeth brushed Octavia's wet hair aside to see her face. "Are you alright?" she asked. Octavia's eyes were wide and she was shaking, but she nodded yes.

"Let me see," said Clarke kneeling next to Octavia and examining the bite in her leg. Clarke tore a strip from Jasper's shirt to tie around the wound. "You're gonna be Ok," she reassured Octavia.

Octavia turned to Jasper, who was lying next to her trying to catch his breath, and hugged him. "Thank you," she said.

"Note to self: next time, save the girl," said Monty patting Jasper on the shoulder. The others laughed, glad for a little relief.

"What on Earth was that thing?" Finn asked looking out at the river. The snake was nowhere in sight now.

"Who the hell knows? Some kind of mutation caused by radiation, maybe," said Emily leaning against a boulder well back from the edge of the water. "But at least now we know, from now on land safe, water not safe."


	8. Whatever The Hell We Want!

Chapter 8 - Whatever The Hell We Want!

Glass was exhausted - walking through the woods and being in the sun all day had taken a lot out of her. She and Wells had gone out into the woods several times looking for water, going in a different direction each time for about half a mile before circling back to camp. She was thirsty, everyone was, and it was going to become a serious problem very soon if they didn't have water, but the only thing they'd found was a gully with stream bed in it that had a shallow trickle of water running through it that was too clouded and muddy to drink. She hopped that Clarke and the others were having better luck and would be able to tell them where to find water when they got back tomorrow. Glass exhaled and watched her breath crystalize, lingering far longer than it would on the Ark, where the ventilation system practically sucked the air from your lungs before it could leave your mouth. The air felt so much fuller here.

Glass was sitting on the ramp of the drop ship watching the fires that people had managed to get started. There were a few small fires around camp that had groups of people gathered around them for warmth and a much larger crowd gathered around a big bonfire in the center of camp.

The crowd around the bonfire cheered about something but Glass couldn't see what they were doing from where she was, and she would just as soon stay out of it. Two people from one of the smaller fires got up and came towards the drop ship. Glass shifted out of their way to let them pass; they didn't say anything to her, but she recognized the girl as one of the people who had been in the drop ship with Thalia earlier. That group had been in and out of the drop ship all day but Glass hadn't seen Thalia in a while, which was just fine with her. Thalia made her wary – a lot of people did, actually. She and Wells would be better off keeping to themselves, along with Emily and Clarke when they get back.

A hand on Glass' shoulder startled her. "Hey," said Wells coming out of the drop ship behind her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Are you OK?"

Glass smiled at his concern. "I'm just a little hungry and thirsty," she said. It was more than a little but complaining about it wouldn't help. "Other than that I'm fine."

Another cheer went up around the bonfire. "What's going on over there?" Wells asked.

"I don't know. Something's been happening," Glass told him, hopping he would stay out of it, but knowing that he wouldn't.

Wells started walking towards the bonfire, and with a heavy sigh Glass got up to follow him. They made their way to the front of the crowd and saw Bellamy standing by the fire watching Mbege and Murphy prying the wristband off of a long haired brunette girl kneeling next to the fire.

When they got it off Murphy tossed the wristband into the fire with several others that had already been discarded. The girl, Fox, stood up and held up her bare wrist for everyone to see; the crowd cheered again. "Who's next?" Bellamy called out.

"What the hell are you doing?" Wells said, stepping forward.

Mbege moved towards him, ready to start another fight, but Bellamy put a hand on his chest to stop him and turned to Wells. "We're liberating ourselves," said Bellamy. "What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're trying to get us all killed!" said Wells. He raised his voice so that the crowd could hear him over the crackling of the fire. "The communications system is dead. These wristbands are all we've got. Take them off and the Ark will think we're dying, that it's not safe for them to follow."

"That's the point, Chancellor," Bellamy said mockingly. "We can take care of ourselves. Can't we?!"

"Yeah!" the crowd cheered.

"You think this is a game?" Wells asked. "Those aren't just our friends and our parents up there. There are doctors, our farmers, our engineers. I don't care what he tells you, we won't survive on our own down here." He turned to Bellamy, "And besides, if it really is safe, how could you not want the rest of our people to come down?"

"My people already are down," said Bellamy gesturing to the crowd. "Those people locked my people up. Those people killed my mother for the crime of having a second child. Your father did that."

"My father didn't write the laws," said Wells.

"No, he enforced them," Bellamy said angrily. "But not down here. Here, we do whatever the hell we want, whenever the hell we want. There are no laws!" The crowd cheered him on. "You don't have to like it Wells. You can even try to stop it, change it…kill me. You know why? Whatever the hell we want."

"Whatever the hell we want!" Murphy shouted and the gathered crowd took up the chant, pumping their fists in the air.

Wells looked around at the crowd disbelievingly and then looked back at Bellamy. He looked like he wanted to hit him, but Glass knew that he wouldn't. Wells would keep a cool head and try to reason with Bellamy, but Glass was already convinced that these people could not be reasoned with, that they didn't care about anything but themselves. She was also sure that if people thought that they could do 'whatever the hell they want' then they would eventually start hurting each other; it would be best to stay away from them when that happened.

Before things could go any further a line of harsh, jagged light flashed across the sky and there was a deafening rumble above them that felt as if it shook the ground. People stopped chanting and looked up at the sky as water began to fall on them. "Rain! It's raining!" someone shouted. People all over camp, at the other fires, started shouting and moving around – some fearfully, having never seen rain and not knowing that it was harmless. Most were excited; they turned their faces to the sky trying to catch rain water in their mouths.

"We need to collect this," Wells said to Bellamy.

"Whatever the hell you want," Bellamy said calmly. Wells, realizing that Bellamy wasn't going to do anything useful, turned and walked away with Glass. Bellamy watched them go, and then turned his face to the sky, enjoying the new experience along with everyone else.

On the roof of the drop ship Thalia was doing the same thing. She leaned her head back, feeling the rain water trail down her face and through her hair. It was both refreshing and exhilarating at the same time.

She had come onto the roof to see how Antonia and Violet were doing trying to repair some of the external damage. She'd stayed to watch the sunset. It was insane to see the changes that happened as the sun went down, the light shifting, and the barrage of different colours painted in the sky – blue, orange, yellow and pink all blended together - before it all faded to black and the stars appeared. The words that they'd been taught to describe a sunset failed in comparison to the real thing.

Being up here was also therapeutic for her. She looked back down towards the bonfire and had to take a deep breath to steady herself. Truth be told, Thalia hated heights. When she was a child (before she'd been confined) she had hated going onto the observation decks, or the Skybridge on the Ark. Even standing right up by the rail on the walkway outside of her cell in the Skybox and looking down at the lower levels had made her uneasy. She was a safe distance from the edge of the roof, but her nerves were still telling her to move further back (or better yet, go inside). _Don't leave, don't go, don't run, don't hide, don't cry; don't ever feel scared_, Thalia heard a familiar voice in her mind. Thinking of the mantra from her childhood Thalia forced herself to stay where she was now. Facing your fears was supposed to make them go away, but she had yet to see proof of that. Thalia could face her fears, but it hadn't made the fear any less.

"'Lord, what fools these mortals be'," said Tandoori, pulling Thalia back into the conversation. Thalia looked at her questioningly. "It's from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Meaning, those people are idiots. They're not thinking about what could happen tomorrow, or the next day..."

"They're having fun, which probably means that they're not thinking at all," Antonia pointed out as she covered the exposed components that she and Violet had been working on. "We'll have to finish working on these tomorrow," said Violet.

"You'd think that people would be smarter than this," said Jason standing beside Thalia.

"A _person_ can be smart, Jason. People in general are stupid and simple. They will follow the first solution that is offered to them. No matter how boneheaded it is," said Thalia.

"Mob Mentality," said Tandoori. "A syndrome by which people feel compelled to act in a certain way following behaviour and trends that they see taken up by others, often with a negative result."

"What text book did you swallow?" Jason asked.

"All of them," Antonia mockingly answered for Tandoori.

Even before Jason and Tandy came up to the roof to tell Thalia what was happening below she could have guessed based on the cheering around the big bonfire and who she could see by the light of the flames - Bellamy was right in the middle of it. Danny was right there next to him looking every bit like one of Bellamy's followers and playing his part well. As Thalia had predicted, most people had taken the side of whoever had gotten to them first, and so far it looked like an almost even split. Bellamy had about 30 or 40 people gathered around the bonfire but the other half of The 100, the groups around the smaller fires, were staying away and taking no part in it. At one of those fires Thalia could see Conner with a group of his friends; at another she spotted Rileigh Byrne and Kayla Shumway. Those two could be very valuable, they were both fighters - Kayla's father and Rileigh's mother were both high ranking officers on the Ark and had raised their daughters to be an officers as well. Kayla was a soldier; she would want to follow the Chancellor's order not to remove their wristbands – and she would be looking for someone to follow now, out of habit if nothing else. Thalia would talk to them herself later.

Thalia searched out someone she had already spoken to; Clarisse was by one of the fires at the edge of camp looking towards the bonfire with her two friends on either side of her. She looked angry, but then again Clarisse always looked angry. It had been easier than Thalia had thought to turn Clarisse against Bellamy. All it took was a little reverse psychology; Thalia let it slip to Clarisse that the new guy was taking over and that she wouldn't be surprised if Clarisse ended up as one of his flunkies. Of course that made Clarisse angry - she was nobody's flunky. Even if she agreed with Bellamy, her pride wouldn't let her follow him, not after thinking that someone like Thalia assumed that she would. Thalia didn't think it would take too much more to get Clarisse (and by extension, her friends) on her side, if she was careful and offered the right incentive.

"So are we gonna do something about this?" Jason asked.

"Yes we will, but not yet. Starting a fight now could end up killing us all a lot faster than a few people taking off their wristbands." And Thalia had no interest in fighting with Bellamy.

"'The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting' – Sun Tzu, The Art of War," quoted Tandoori.

"And I've told you before," Thalia continued, "that there are better ways of getting what you need besides fighting. You just have to wait for the right time."

"'The strongest of all warriors are these two: Time and Patience'," said Tandoori, "Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace."

"Enough with the quotes already," Antonia said irritably.

"Just because you've never read anything outside of a computer manual..." Tandoori started to argue.

"Are you two really gonna do this now?" Violet asked in exasperation.

"Are they always like that?" Jason asked Thalia.

"Pretty much," Thalia answered with a shrug, and then she turned to the others. "We should probably all be getting out of the rain now," Thalia said, forestalling their argument. They all headed down the hatch into the drop ship. Thalia went down last.

XXXXX

Cece Kane was once again on her way to the Earth Monitoring Control Room. She had other work to attend to throughout the day but had been checking in intermittently to get an update of the situation on Earth. She had not been able to let go of the tension she had felt since those two wristband signals went out, and it had only increased as other tiles on the board started to go dark. As she entered Earth Monitoring Cece held her breath scanning the board, and then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Emily's tile was still active. And she was relieved to see that Clarke's was as well.

Cece walked up to Abby who was studying the board worriedly. "Emily and Clarke are doing all right," Abby said, anticipating her first question.

"How many more did we lose?" Cece went right on to her second question.

"Ten more," said Abby. Both mothers were significantly terrified that the next signal to go out could be one of their daughters'.

"Abby," Doctor Jackson said coming up to the board. "Look at plasma osmolarity. It's going up across the board."

"What does that mean?" Cece asked - she was no doctor.

"They've found water!" Abby said joyfully. She clasped her friend's hand and they both smiled. The children had found one of the essentials that they would need to survive.

The moment was interrupted by a team of guards entering the room, let by Vice Chancellor Marcus Kane and Commander Shumway. "Councilor Abigail Griffin, you're under arrest for exceeding the maximum medical supplies allowed per patient," Shumway announced.

"Marcus, what are you doing?" Cece asked her husband.

Kane spoke directly to Abby. "Sorry this has to be public. But policy in these matters is very clear. No special treatment." Kane started to turn away, and then turned back to her. "How much blood did you give him, Abby?"

"Don't answer that," Jackson said hurriedly.

"I used whatever it took," Abby stated boldly. "Breaking the law to keep you from becoming Chancellor was the easiest decision I've ever made."

"In that case, given your confession, and in my role as acting Chancellor, you leave me no choice but to find you guilty," Kane said smugly.

"We always have a choice Kane," Abby countered. "You choose to press charges against my husband, your friend, even though you knew he would get floated for it. You choose to include _my daughter_ in those charges. And now you're choosing this. Hiding behind the law absolves you of nothing." Her contempt for him was very clear.

"Be that as it may, because all crimes committed by those over the age of maturity are capital crimes, you are hereby sentenced to death. Execution is set for the morning." Kane continued with an air of superiority, "And I choose at every turn and at any cost to make sure that the human race stays alive."

"That's the difference between us Kane," Abby said as he started to turn away. "I choose to make sure that we _deserve_ to stay alive."

Kane signaled the guards to take her away; Abby was handcuffed and led out of the room while Jackson and Cece watched. There was nothing they could do to help her. Abby was taken to the prison station, the Skybox. The handcuffs were removed and she was deposited into a cell. Looking around she knew immediately where she was. The walls were covered in drawings of plants, animals, old buildings – she was in Clark's cell.

Abby noticed the last drawing that Clarke had made on the floor of the cell, the image of looking up at the night sky through the trees. Choking back a sob, Abby knelt down and touched it. She hopped that Clarke was getting to see the real thing as beautifully as she'd pictured it.

Thinking of Clarke, Abby didn't try to hold back the tears.

She cried not for her own fate but for her daughter. Clarke would be left an orphan; Abby would never get to see her again, never get to hug her, would never even know if Clarke survived. They would never stand on the ground together and look up at the sky.

Abby cried for all that had been lost and all that would never be.


	9. Glow In The Dark Forest

Chapter 9 - Glow In The Dark Forest

After the incident at the river the group retreated back into the shelter of the trees to settle down for the night. They would find a way to get across the river in the morning. They found a patch of soft, thick moss to sleep in for the night and they fell asleep quickly after a long exhausting day. Clarke was lying on her back using her pack as a pillow when something roused her from sleep. She opened her eyes and was confused by the soft glowing light around her. As she sat up her mouth dropped open in wonder. The forest around them looked like it was glowing! Bluish-green light was coming from the bushes, the moss growing on the tree bark, even the moss and grass that they were lying in.

Clarke looked around at the others. Monty had his head resting on a tree root; Jasper was leaning against the trunk of a tree with Octavia beside him, her head on his shoulder; Annabeth was curled up on her side looking peaceful; Emily was right beside Clarke, stretched out on her side with her sword resting loosely in her hands.

Clarke smiled; they were all still fast asleep. She put her hand on Emily's shoulder and shook her gently. "Em, wake up. You have to see this. It's so beautiful," she said softly.

Emily's grip tightened on her sword. "Is it something that's trying to kill us?" she asked without opening her eyes.

"No."

"Then let me sleep," Emily said, relaxing again.

Clarke looked around again and noticed that Finn was missing. She shook Emily's shoulder again, "Hey, have you seen Finn?"

"Eyes are closed…" Emily said tiredly, "Can't see anyone."

Clarke let her go back to sleep and got up to look for Finn herself. She wouldn't go too far from the group; she could call out if she needed help. Honestly, she really wanted to see more of the glowing forest. As Clarke walked through the forest she couldn't stop smiling. This whole place was incredible. Looking up, she saw that the tops of the trees were in shadows, but lower down everything was illuminated. Clarke stopped to look at a patch of wild mushrooms glowing in various shades of blue and green. The glow cast a rainbow of muted colour over her face.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Finn said behind her.

Clarke turned to look at him and saw that he was holding a big leaf folded to serve as a cup, with water in it. "Did you go to the river?"

"I figured it was worth losing a few fingers," he said. They had all shared the canteen that Emily had been able to fill, but between seven people who had been hiking all day, it wasn't much. Clarke gratefully accepted the leaf cup when Finn handed it to her and drank down the water. "You think this means we're all gonna grow two heads?" he asked, drawing a laugh from Clarke. "What do you know, she can laugh. Come on, you have to see this."

Finn led her over to where the ground was dirt instead of moss and knelt down, pointing out some tracks in the dirt. "That's a toe, and near as I can tell, whatever it is, it's walking on two feet. My guess, monkeys."

Clarke laughed again. "I'm sorry. It's just that according to everything I've read there were no bipedal animals anywhere near here, certainly not monkeys."

"Really," said Finn. "Did you read anything about glow in the dark forests or giant man-eating snakes? A lot can change in a hundred years."

"All right, fair point," said Clarke.

Emily didn't fall back to sleep after Clarke woke her, she lay with her eyes closed for several minutes hopping to drift off again. When that didn't seem likely she rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. She saw the glowing above and around her – Clarke was right, it was beautiful – but her thoughts of home overrode her curiosity of this new world. She stared up at the patch of sky that she could see through the treetops. It was strange to see the moon from so far away, so small and featureless, like waking up to find that someone's face had been erased. Up there on the Ark her mother was probably monitoring what was happening to them on Earth through the wristbands, along with Clarke's mom. Emily traced her fingers over the wristband she wore. She was grateful for it for her mother's sake, so that she would know that Emily was ok. Emily had never questioned that her mother loved her – even if her mother never could stand up to her father – and she didn't doubt that her mother was worried sick. But Callie Kane would hold it together, like always.

Her father on the other hand… Emily went from tracing the wristband to tracing the cross on her necklace, a gift from her grandmother (her father's mother), the religious leader on the Ark. Emily wasn't sure if her father had stopped loving her…or had just decided that everything else was more important.

_._

_You have a hollowed out heart, but it's heavy in your chest_

_I try so hard to fight it but it's hopeless_

_Hopeless. You're hopeless..._

_._

Emily knew the laws on the Ark, had grown up memorizing them, and she knew what she was doing when she broke the law. Maybe she'd been shortsighted, acting in anger, not thinking clearly; maybe she was a little bit crazy like Glass had jokingly said before. But she had just wanted her father to take notice of her. To really see _her_, not just the perfect daughter, the puppet that he'd tried to make of her. And some part of her – a naïve, childish part – had hoped that her father would at least try to protect her, to save her. He could have…but no.

_._

_Don't you remember I'm your baby girl? How could you push me out of your world?_

_Lie to your flesh and your blood. Turn your back on the ones that you swore you loved._

_._

The people who had sent the prisoners down to Earth had no real convictions that they would survive, Marcus Kane least of all. And he sent her down here anyway. Her father cared about the _idea_ of people, of saving mankind; he just didn't give a damn about the people who were right there in front of him. _He probably gave us all up for dead the minute the first wristband signals went out from those boys who died in the crash_, Emily thought, angrily wiping away a few tears that had come to her eyes. She hadn't cried over her father brushing her aside since she was twelve and she wasn't going to start now.

_._

_Don't you remember I'm your baby girl? How could you throw me right out of your world?_

_So young when the pain had begun; now forever afraid of being unloved_

_._

Hearing something approaching, Emily reflexively reached for her sword, but it was only Clarke and Finn coming back. Emily closed her eyes pretending to sleep - she didn't want to talk. She heard Clarke and Finn settle down, and after a while started to drift back to sleep herself. Her last thought was that at least the stars look the same form Earth as they did from the Ark.

XXXXX

Cece opened the door to her living quarters and found Marcus having a drink and listening to classical music. Seeing him acting so casually while she felt as though her world was coming apart around her only fueled her anger.

"Are you out of you mind?!" she said. "You can't kill _everyone_ who disagrees with you!"

"I know you all think I'm the bad guy," Marcus said, setting down his drink. "But I am the only one with the vision to save us. Who's willing to do whatever it takes!"

At the moment Cece couldn't care less about his 'vision'. "She's my best friend!"

"What do you want me to say, 'I'm sorry'?" he said stepping forward to meet her in the middle of the room. "I'm not; friendship is a luxury we can't afford. And if I have to take us down to a cosmic Adam and Eve, I will do it."

"Please, show mercy," Cece pleaded, "If not for Abby then for _me_."

"We can't afford mercy either," Marcus said gently. He reached forward to wipe a tear from her cheek, but she turned away from him and walked out.

Cece kept on walking, not thinking about where she was going, until she came to an observation deck, a wide corridor with huge windows taking up most of one wall that was used for viewing events such as comets and moon raises. It was deserted at this time, and right now it offered a view of the Earth. Her baby girl was down there; Abby was in a cell waiting to be executed. And there was nothing she could do for either of them. Remembering the remorseless look in Marcus' eyes, Cece let her tears fall silently wondering when the man she loved had become this, and how Emily had seen it when she hadn't.

* * *

><p>Author's note: The song lyrics featured in this chapter are from For The Love Of A Daughter by Demi Lovato<p> 


	10. We've Got Trouble

Chapter 10 - We've Got Trouble

Dax was a tall, slimly built 17-year-old, who had been confined for beating a man to death for stealing from him. He was also one of the guys who had removed his wristband early in the day. Dax found a place near the edge of camp to sleep for the night, under a tree that gave some shelter from the cold wind that had picked up, and settled down with one of the blankets from the drop ship that he'd wrestled from some other kid, practically knocking the kid's tooth out.

Dax looked up when he heard someone coming, thinking it might be one of the people he'd roughed up come looking for payback, but it was only that little girl with the blond ponytail. Earlier in the day Dax had seen some guys giving her a hard time, trying to make her take off her wristband. She had shouted at them to stop and leave her alone, but they ignored her. Dax had walked up and punched one of them in the face. That guy went down with a bloody nose and the others backed off.

The little girl had been following him around since then, and now she came and lay down beside him, clutching her stuffed toy that looked like it was supposed to be a turtle. Dax considered pushing her away, telling her to go bug someone else.

"Thanks for helping me," her small voice said. It was the first thing she'd said to him all day.

"Whatever kid," said Dax, laying his head back again.

"My name's Bo," she said.

"Just go to sleep," Dax grumbled. Bo didn't say anything else. A little while later Dax looked down at her and saw that she was shivering. The kid looked too small and frail to stand up to the cold wind that was blowing. He sighed, and spread the blanket over her; she curled closer to him.

Just behind the tree line at the edge of camp, Thalia smiled. She had been walking the perimeter of camp making sure that everything was alright when she saw them. Bo Adams, 10 years old, was the youngest one here, and lying next to Dax Stanton she looked like a kitten curled up next to a pit-bull. Thalia kept walking and came to the spot that she'd started from. It looked like everyone was settled down to sleep for the night. The bonfire was out, and the smaller fires around camp were down to embers that gave a bit of warmth to those closest to them and provided just enough light to see by. Thalia was just about to find her own place to rest for the night when she saw Danny coming towards her around the edge of camp. He had a serious look on his face and for Danny, who was rarely serious about anything, that was saying something.

_This can't be good_, Thalia thought as he approached. "Is there any chance that you're just out for a late night walk?" she asked.

"We've got trouble," said Danny.

XX

Wells was resting against a large tree root that protruded out of the ground, while Glass was asleep under a small alcove where a bush growing over the tree roots gave her more shelter from the cold. Wells couldn't sleep; he was too busy going over the day's events in his head. If Bellamy got his way, the people on the Ark would never come down, which meant that they would all be in danger. Even if the engineers can fix the life support system, they didn't have enough time to do so, which meant that people would be dying. Add to that all his worries about surviving on the ground, Clarke hating him, what Bellamy and his thugs would do, Clarke wishing he wasn't here, trying to keep his friends safe while everyone thought being down here was a game with no rules, Clarke…

Wells hadn't realized that he was drifting off until a hand over his mouth jolted him awake. He opened his eyes to see Bellamy leaning over him. Wells was about to push him off, but then he saw the gun. Wells glanced to his left and saw that Glass was hidden from sight in her little alcove. She was safe.

Glass was sleeping fitfully. There was no constant machine hum down here, but there were other sounds, some of which she couldn't identify. It seemed something woke her up every five minutes. Glass pulled the blanket Wells had given her closer around her, when a noise just next to her brought her fully awake. She pushed back a branch that was in her way and saw Wells walking out of camp. She was about to call out to him, to ask where he was going, when she saw that Bellamy was with him. And he had a gun!

Glass knew that the people here didn't like Wells because of his father, but she hadn't really thought that they would try to execute him! She had to do something, but what could she do on her own? She needed help, but Emily and Clarke were gone. There was only one other person she could think of to ask for help who might listen – and she felt a chill down her spine just thinking about it.

Glass found Thalia with a small group of people, arguing with a big angry looking girl with dark brown hair. Glass recognized two of the boys, Conner and Jason – they had both been in the drop ship with Thalia earlier – and the dark haired Asian girl who stood at Thalia's side like a soldier, Kayla. When Glass came up to them Thalia and the angry girl were nodding like they had come to an agreement.

Glass didn't waste any time, "I need your help. Wells, he..."

"I already know," Thalia interrupted. She reached under her jacket and pulled out a gun of her own. Glass was stunned; how many people down here had guns?! "Come on, let's go save your boyfriend." Thalia led her group off in the same direction that Bellamy had taken Wells.

Glass, following behind them, said under her breath, "He's not my boyfriend."

XX

Wells walked ahead of Bellamy, still limping slightly from his sprained ankle. They'd reached the gully that he and Glass had found earlier. It was far enough from camp that no one would hear any sound of a fight; though they would probably still hear a gunshot.

Bellamy wasn't concerned though. "That's far enough," he said. Wells turned to face him. "Relax Wells; I don't want to shoot you. Hell, I like you. But I do need them to think that you're dead," Bellamy, pointing up to the sky – to the Ark.

"Why?" Wells asked. "For real this time, not some crap about getting to do what you want to do."

"I have my reasons," Bellamy shrugged. "I also have the gun, which means I ask the questions. Why aren't you helping me? Your father banished you, dumped you down here like garbage, yet you're still doing his bidding. Aren't you tired of always doing what's expected of you? Stand up to him. Take off that wristband and you will be amazed at how good it feels."

Bellamy might have thought that he was being persuasive, but Wells just thought that everything out of his mouth was a line of crap. "No, never, not gonna happen; is that clear enough for you?"

"Yeah, it is," Bellamy said cocking his gun. "Sorry it had to be like this?"

Wells braced himself, but Bellamy just put the gun back under his jacket and nodded at someone to his left. Wells looked over and saw Murphy coming up, and to the other side he saw Mbege. Bellamy had led him into an ambush! Three against one while he was injured were not good odds; Wells turned and tried to run, but his ankle slowed him down and three more guys intercepted him. Wells nailed one of them with a fist to the jaw; one guy tried to grab him from behind, but Wells head-butted him and he let go, but then the third boy and Murphy and Mbege were on him. They wrestled him to the ground. "Hold him down. Get his arm!" Mbege got a piece of metal under Well's wristband to pry it off.

"Get off of me!" Wells shouted. "Don't do this!"

Bellamy watched it all happening, satisfied. If the Ark thought that their prince was dead they would never come down, and he'd be safe. Mbege was working on the wristband, and the others were keeping Wells pinned when Murphy stood up and kicked at Wells. Bellamy wanted his wristband off, but he didn't actually want Wells dead. He was about to call Murphy off when a shape moving fast tackled Murphy to the ground. The moon provided enough light for Bellamy to see Murphy wrestling with another boy, and more people coming up and pulling his guys off of Wells. Bellamy started moving towards them, his hand going to his gun, when someone stepped in front of him.

"Go ahead and reach for it. I'll put a bullet in you before you have your finger on the trigger," the girl said.

Bellamy focused on her, her dark cloths making her difficult to see in the dim light. He could make out that she was maybe two inches shorter than him, with short dark hair and was built like a runner. And he could clearly see her eyes - electric blue that looked even brighter in the moonlight. He could also see the gun she had pointed at his chest.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked. She didn't answer.

The scuffle behind them didn't last long. When one of Bellamy's guys, Miller, landed on the ground next to them Thalia smiled. She figured Rileigh Byrne was the one who'd tossed him. When Bellamy's guys retreated to stand behind him Thalia lowered her gun and stepped back to stand in front of her people. Miller got to his feet, more bruised than he was before. The others were Mbege and Atom; Conner had Murphy pinned to the ground and Clarisse was holding Drew in a chokehold so tight that he might pass out soon if she didn't let him get some air. Thalia looked over Bellamy's shoulder and saw Danny; the others were too focused on Thalia to notice him just now coming up.

Glass and Kayla Shumway helped Wells to his feet. He looked at Glass questioningly. "I saw him take you and I went for help," she explained.

"Are you ok?" Kayla asked; she and Wells knew each other from officer training.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said.

The other guys that Thalia had brought with her, Alby and Gabe, looked ready to go another round and so did Atom and Mbege. She held up her hand signaling them to stay back and Bellamy put a hand on Mbege's shoulder to stop him. Jason came to Thalia's side and hander her something. Thalia sighed; they'd gotten there in time to save Wells, but not his wristband.

_._

_So you feel entitled to a sense of control and make decisions that you think are your own_

_You are a stranger here. Why have you come? Why have you come?_

_._

"Six against one, not very sporting of you," Thalia said to Bellamy. "So you're the guy who's gonna try to take over down here."

"I'm already taking over down here," Bellamy replied.

Thalia smirked. "Yes, I can see that you already have your collection of thugs. That was fast work. And you can see that I have friends." Bellamy looked at the people behind Thalia. They looked ready to go for round two at any sign, but so where his guys. "Relax Bellamy. I'm not interested in taking over. If you want to be in charge you go right ahead, _be_ in charge. I really don't care." Thalia's expression suddenly turned cold and fierce. "Just don't try to pick a fight with _me_." The threat in her voice was very clear; Bellamy noted that she had lowered her gun, but she hadn't put it away. And looking in her eyes he could see, there was something dangerous about this girl.

But he couldn't afford to back down, not if he wanted the others to follow him. "What makes you think you can give orders here?"

"Not orders, just a warning," said Thalia. "You're a stranger who showed up out of nowhere today; I've been living with these people for nine years. Do you really want to get them started on choosing sides? Fighting amongst ourselves, now that would be a good way to get people killed."

"If you didn't want to start a fight then you should have stayed out of it."

Thalia shrugged, "Not really my style."

"How'd you get a gun anyway?" asked Bellamy.

"I can ask you the same thing." Thalia considered for a moment. "I took mine off a guard when they were putting us in the drop ship – idiot didn't even notice. How'd you get yours?" Thalia stepped forward and spoke quietly so that only Bellamy heard her. "How did you get a gun Bellamy? And why are you so afraid of the Ark coming down?" Thalia asked, putting the pieces together. She could tell from the way his eyes shifted away that she was right, Bellamy was afraid of something. "What did you do?"

_._

_Who, who are you really? And where are you going?_

_._

"You don't know what you're talking about," Bellamy said speaking quietly, just to Thalia. He didn't like that she'd made that connection so easily. Bellamy didn't want anyone else questioning why he wanted to stop the people on the Ark from coming down.

"And you don't want questions asked," Thalia deduced. "Fine, then as long as you don't start none, there won't be none." Thalia stepped back and spoke normally again. "So how about you take yours, we take ours, and we can all go back to doing what we've been doing." She tossed the wristband at his feet. "'Whatever the hell we want' right?"

Clarisse let go of Drew, who coughed, gasping for breath, and scrambled over to Bellamy's side. Conner let go of Murphy, and Alby and Gabe pulled him up by his arms and pushed him towards his own group. Murphy found his footing and lunged forward to attack again. "Murphy," Bellamy stopped him, "We got what we wanted."

Thalia glanced at Danny and saw him nod almost imperceptivity.

"I'll see you around Bellamy," Thalia smiled and turned away, walking with her group back towards camp. Bellamy may have gotten what he wanted, but Thalia had also made her point.

_._

_Well I've got nothing left to prove 'cause I've got nothing left to lose._

_See me bare my teeth for you. Who, who are you?_

_._

"Who the hell is she?" Bellamy asked, watching her walk away.

"That is Thalia Grace," said Danny.

Bellamy turned to him. "Do you know her?"

"Sure," Danny shrugged, "Everyone knows her."

"What's her story?"

XX

Thalia's group continued on their way back to camp. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Kayla asked Rileigh.

"I've studied judo since I was nine. Glad it finally came in handy," Rileigh answered, "You?"

"My dad had me in officer training since I could walk," said Kayla.

"I guess you weren't exactly daddy's good little soldier-girl if you ended up here," Rileigh commented.

"Nothing was ever good enough for my dad, The Commander," said Kayla. She didn't sound upset, she simply said it as a fact – though she didn't seem to think much of her father's title. "Anyway I could saw the same about you."

When camp came into view, Jason said what was on his mind. "You made Bellamy look like a fool back there."

"He doesn't need any help looking like a fool," Thalia replied, slightly disappointed; she'd expected more.

"He's going to retaliate," Jason said, concerned.

Thalia didn't share his concern, "He can try."

"Thalia..."

"Don't worry about me Jason," Thalia interrupted. "When Bellamy makes a move I'll know about it." She suddenly felt very tired. "For now we should all just try to get some sleep. It's been a hell of a long day."

They'd reached camp by now and started going their separate ways for the night. Kayla said bye to Wells, and she and Rileigh went back to their space; Alby and Gabe walked off in the same direction, watching the girls. Clarisse left without a word; she may have agreed to help this time, but she wasn't exactly sociable. Thalia considered her a work in progress.

"Thanks for your help back there," Wells said.

"Don't," said Thalia. "That wasn't so much about saving you as it was about making a point to Bellamy. Every word out of that guy's mouth is total crap."

"You noticed that, huh?"

"He was right about one thing though Wells. Your father enforced the laws, and that makes enemies. Like it or not, his enemies are your enemies. My advice, if you want to survive down here, is to be ready to fight for it." Thalia started to turn away but then turned back. "And try to make some new friends. Like Kayla, she seems to like you." Thalia walked off towards the drop ship with Jason.

"She still creeps me out," Glass said to Wells. "But she's not wrong."

Wells didn't feel like arguing on it, especially since they were probably both right. "Come on, let's get some sleep," he said heading back to their spot.

Glass started to follow him but was startled by a rustling in the trees and looked up. Was there something moving up there? It was hard to see, but it almost looked like…

"Hey, are you alright?" Wells asked.

"I thought I just saw…" No that was impossible. She was tired and probably just jumping at shadows again. "Never mind," she said shaking her head.

"Come on, it's late."

* * *

><p>The song lyrics featured in this chapter are from Who Are You Really? by Mikky Ekko<p> 


	11. Did They Make It?

Chapter 11 - Did They Make It?

Abby was staring up through the skylight of the cell at what she could see of Earth when the door swung open. "Dr. Griffin, it's time," the guard said solemnly. Abby was escorted to her execution by two guards with her hand cuffed behind her.

Arriving at the airlock chamber she saw that Jackson and Cece were there waiting for her. Family and close friends were permitted to say goodbye before an execution. Cece stepped forward and embraced her friend with tears in her eyes.

"That's enough," said Kane, standing beside the airlock control panel with Commander Shumway.

"Watch over Clarke for me," Abby said as a guard forcibly pulled Cece away from her. Cece nodded, unable to speak. Jackson took her hand, tears in his eyes as well.

Abby's handcuffs were removed and the two guards took Abby's arms to lead her into the chamber, but she shook them off. She would not be dragged in kicking and screaming. As the airlock's inner door was opened Abby hesitated for only a moment before stepping in and turning to face the people in the corridor. Marcus looked at Cece, and she looked at him with pleading in her tear filled eyes. Doing this would forever condemn him in her mind. He pulled his eyes away from her and nodded to Commander Shumway. Shumway pushed the button on the control panel to seal the inner door.

"Jackson, use the wristbands," Abby called out hurriedly as the doors started to close. "There may be a way to reverse engineer them for communication. Talk to Sinclair in engineering. _Nod if you understand_!"

Jackson nodded so that she could see that he understood as the door sealed her off from them completely. They could see each other through the glass, but no sound went through. The guards still held him and Cece back from interfering. Kane looked at Abby inside the airlock, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded to Shumway again.

Shumway had his finger on the button that would open the outer door and send Abby Griffin shooting out into space, when an authoritative voice rang out.

"STOP!"

Everyone looked to the other end of the corridor where Chancellor Thelonious Jaha was coming up in hospital scrubs, with a harassed looking physician close behind him. He was clutching at the wound in his abdomen and breathing hard from the effort of rushing over from the med bay. Even with the grimace of pain on his face and in his voice, there was no mistaking the authority he spoke with, "Dr. Griffin is pardoned."

Abby staggered with relief; she hadn't allowed herself to feel her own fear until that moment. She couldn't hear what was being said, but she could see well enough what was happening. The Chancellor put a hand on his physicians shoulder for support for a moment and then stepped forward, speaking to Kane and Shumway.

"I'll deal with you later," Jaha said to Kane. Turning to Shumway he said, "Open the door". Shumway looked to Kane. "Open The Door," Chancellor Jaha ordered again, emphasizing each word and giving Shumway no room to argue; Shumway complied.

The door was opened and Abby walked out to stand in front of the Chancellor. Jaha nodded to her. "I spent twelve hours putting those intestines back together," Abby commented, and then said to his physician, "Get him back to bed, now," always the doctor.

Abby walked down the corridor and out of sight with Cece and Jackson following after her. Kane watched them go; Cece did not look back.

"Tell me about The 100," Chancellor Jaha said, claiming Kane's attention. "Did they make it?"


	12. We're Not Alone!

Chapter 12 - We're Not Alone!

(SOUNDTRACK: **'We Come Running' by Youngblood Hawke)**

A new day, with crispness to the air and the early morning light, brought new optimism. Back at the river, this time with a plan, Finn and Jasper stood at the highest ledge they could find on their side of the riverbank testing the strength of the vine they had found to use to swing across.

"You wanted to go first Finn," Clarke said from where she and the others were watching from below. "Now quit stalling."

"Mount Weather awaits," said Annabeth.

Finn pulled back on the vine again making sure it would hold his weight. He was pretty sure it would but he still felt some trepidation. "Just hold on until the apogee and you'll be fine," Jasper reassured him.

"Apogee?" asked Finn. "Like the Indians, right?"

"Apogee, not apache," Jasper corrected him.

"He knows," said Clarke. "Today, Finn."

"Come on," Emily said impatiently. "Let's get this done."

"Aye, aye Captain," Finn saluted them. "See you on the other side."

"He couldn't have picked a better choice of words," Emily said to Clarke.

Jasper saw Octavia watching Finn with anticipation. "Wait," he said as Finn was about to push off from the ledge.

"What?" Finn asked.

"Let me," said Jasper, a little jittery. "I can do it."

"Knew there was a bad ass in there somewhere," Finn said, handing him the vine.

Jasper made sure that he had a good grip, blow out a shaky breath, shifted his feet and looked out across the river. Then he took another breath. "Hey, it's ok to be scared Jasper," said Finn. "The trick is not fighting it."

Jasper nodded and looked down again; Octavia was smiling at him now. Jasper steeled himself.

"See you on the other side," he said, making the others laugh. He adjusted his grip, pulled back on the vine, and pushed off from the ledge. He heard the others cheer as he swung out across the river, and it felt like the wind pulled a cheer from his lungs too.

"Woohoo!" When the vine reached the highest point in its forward swing (the apogee) Jasper let go. "Yeah!" he shouted, then, "Oh shi…" just before he hit the ground on the other side.

Finn jumped down from their ledge to where the others were standing and rushed forward to catch the vine as it swung back towards them. On the other side of the river Jasper was getting to his feet and brushing himself off, checking for injuries. He might have a few bruises, but nothing was broken. And that was amazing!

"We Are Apogee!" he shouted. The others all cheered him on from their side of the river.

"Yes!" shouted Monty.

"Woo!" cheered Octavia.

"You did it Jasper!" Clarke congratulated him.

"Let's go Princess. You're up," Finn said to Clarke, passing the vine to her. Clarke smiled, looking nervous.

"Go for it Clarke," Emily encouraged her.

"Come on, Clarke," Jasper called from across the river. "You got this! Woo!"

Jasper was jumping up and down in his excitement, his heart still racing from his own swing across the river. His foot brushed over something that wasn't rock or dirt. Bending down for a closer look, Jasper pulled out a rusted sheet of metal half buried in the dirt. He brushed it off and read the words that he could make out on it. Smiling, he held it up for the others to see.

"We did it!" he called out. "It's Mount Weather! Woo!"

"Go Jasper!" Monty cheered.

"We made it," said Annabeth

"I'll start cheering after we find breakfast," said Emily – she was smiling too.

The others kept cheering as Clarke got ready to swing over next. She looked at Jasper waiting for her on the other side, cheering her on, and was about to push off from the edge, when something hit Jasper square in the chest, knocking him back and pinning him to a tree.

There was a moment of stunned, absolute silence when all they heard was the sheet of metal hitting the ground.

"Was that a _spear_?" Emily asked. And then they were all shouting.

"J-J-Jasper," Clarke stammered.

"Jasper? Jasper!"

"JASPER" shouted Monty. That was his best friend over there and they couldn't get to him.

"Come on," Finn said to the others, urging them to move. That spear had come from their side of the river! Finn jumped down behind a ledge closer to the river's edge and the others followed. "Get down! Get down!"

"Clarke, move it!" Emily said, grabbing Clarke's arm. Clarke couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from Jasper's body until Emily pulled her down behind the ledge.

They had the water at their backs and were scanning the trees for whoever could have thrown that spear. They heard movement in the undergrowth, and birds taking off, but they didn't see a thing. Clarke stated the glaringly obvious, terrifying truth that they were all thinking. "We're not alone!"

**THE 100**


	13. Chapter 13

This story will continue in book 2 "The 100 Earth Skills"

Would you like me to continue/start book 2 as the next chapter in this story, or as a new story?

Please leave a review and let me know.


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